Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB50 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 145 of the Regular Session
3		-	JLL102 01-22-2025 10:51:23 JLL102
4		-
5		-	State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S1/22/25 1
	2	+	JLL102 01/13/2025 1:14:50 PM JLL102
	3	+	State of Arkansas 1
6	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
7	5		Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 50 3
8	6		4
9		-	By: ~~Senators~~ J. Boyd~~, J. English~~ 5
	7	+	By: Senator J. Boyd 5
10	8		By: Representative Wing 6
11	9		7
12	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
13	11		AN ACT TO REQUIRE A LEGISLATIVE STUDY OF WORKFORCE 9
14	12		AND SOCIAL SERVICES REFORM; TO REQUIRE THE 10
15	13		CONSIDERATION OF ANY LEGISLATIVE CHANGES NECESSARY TO 11
16	14		ADDRESS ISSUES IDENTIFIED DURING THE STUDY OF 12
17	15		WORKFORCE AND SOCIAL SERVICES REFORM; AND FOR OTHER 13
18	16		PURPOSES. 14
19	17		15
20	18		16
21	19		Subtitle 17
22	20		TO REQUIRE A LEGISLATIVE STUDY OF 18
23	21		WORKFORCE AND SOCIAL SERVICES REFORM; 19
24	22		AND TO REQUIRE CONSIDERATION OF 20
25	23		LEGISLATION NECESSARY TO ADDRESS ISSUES 21
26	24		IDENTIFIED DURING THE STUDY. 22
27	25		23
28	26		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24
29	27		25
30	28		SECTION 1. TEMPORARY LANGUAGE. DO NOT CODIFY. Legislative study of 26
31	29		workforce and social services reform — Findings — Scope — Requirements. 27
32	30		(a) The General Assembly finds that: 28
33	31		(1) Arkansas needs an educated and skilled workforce for 29
34	32		employment in diverse occupations and industries; 30
35	33		(2) The Arkansas workforce is increasingly in need of access to 31
36	34		higher quality education and training programs aligned to the growing 32
37	35		technological competencies required in occupations; 33
38	36		(3) Arkansas's public workforce system is a maze of confusing 34
39	37		programs and is not meeting the challenges faced by employers and workers; 35
40		-	(4) Arkansas does not have a centralized location that includes 36 ~~As Engrossed: S1/22/25~~ SB50
	38	+	(4) Arkansas does not have a centralized location that includes 36 SB50
41	39
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43		-
44		-
	40	+	2 01/13/2025 1:14:50 PM JLL102
45	41		a clearinghouse of the available public assistance programs, how to access 1
46	42		them, and eligibility requirements; 2
47	43		(5) The United States Congress is considering the 3
48	44		reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, 29 U.S.C. § 4
49	45		3101 et seq., and new opportunities to grant states the ability to pilot 5
50	46		comprehensive innovation demonstration programs; and 6
51	47		(6) Research has shown that an integrated system of workforce 7
52	48		and social services more effectively supports the most vulnerable citizens in 8
53	49		escaping poverty through targeted support and work to achieve dignity and 9
54	50		self-sufficiency, which will not only lift individuals but also strengthen 10
55	51		Arkansas's economy. 11
56	52		(b)(1) The Hospital, Medicaid, and Developmental Disabilities Study 12
57	53		Subcommittee of the Legislative Council shall meet to conduct a study of 13
58	54		issues related to the reform of the state's workforce and social services. 14
59	55		(2) Meetings for the purpose of conducting the study required 15
60	56		under this section shall be held at least one (1) time every three (3) months 16
61	57		but may occur more often at the call of the cochairs of the Hospital, 17
62	58		Medicaid, and Developmental Disabilities Study Subcommittee of the 18
63	59		Legislative Council. 19
64	60		(c)(1) The purpose of the study required under this section is to 20
65	61		study issues and ideas related to the reform of the state's workforce and 21
66	62		social services and to consider related legislation that may be necessary to 22
67	63		remedy any issues identified during the course of the study. 23
68	64		(2) The study required under this section shall include without 24
69	65		limitation a study of: 25
70	66		(A) State models for coordinating and fully integrating 26
71	67		workforce, social services, education, child care, and healthcare programs; 27
72	68		(B) Alternative approaches that the state should consider 28
73	69		to achieve improved outcomes in workforce and social service programs, 29
74	70		including without limitation: 30
75	71		(i) Programs of the Workforce Innovation and 31
76	72		Opportunity Act, 29 U.S.C. § 3101 et seq., including without limitation 32
77	73		oversight for an integrated regional services delivery system; 33
78	74		(ii) The unemployment insurance program; 34
79	75		(iii) Vocational rehabilitation programs; 35
80		-	(iv) The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 36 ~~As Engrossed: S1/22/25~~ SB50
	76	+	(iv) The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 36 SB50
81	77
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83		-
84		-
	78	+	3 01/13/2025 1:14:50 PM JLL102
85	79		program; 1
86	80		(v) The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; 2
87	81		(vi) The Employment and Training Program for 3
88	82		Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients; and 4
89	83		(vii) The Child Care Assistance Program; 5
90	84		(C) Performance outcomes of various workforce programs, 6
91	85		including without limitation an analysis of the number of common participants 7
92	86		enrolled in multiple programs across state agencies; 8
93	87		(D) The creation of an asset map that incorporates office 9
94	88		locations, case management systems, and customer intake and eligibility 10
95	89		procedures for the services and programs studied under this section; and 11
96	90		(E) Legislation that may be necessary to address any 12
97	91		issues identified in the course of the study conducted under this section. 13
98	92		(d) The Hospital, Medicaid, and Developmental Disabilities Study 14
99	93		Subcommittee of the Legislative Council may form work groups to focus on 15
100	94		specific issues or topics as needed. 16
101	95		(e) In conducting the study required under this section, the Hospital, 17
102	96		Medicaid, and Developmental Disabilities Study Subcommittee of the 18
103	97		Legislative Council may include and consider input from subject matter 19
104	98		experts, who may be used to facilitate meetings, conduct research, or provide 20
105	99		technical assistance. 21
106	100		(f)(1)(A) On or before October 1, 2026, the Hospital, Medicaid, and 22
107	101		Developmental Disabilities Study Subcommittee of the Legislative Council 23
108	102		shall file with the cochairs of the Legislative Council a final written 24
109	103		report of the activities, findings, and recommendations of the Hospital, 25
110	104		Medicaid, and Developmental Disabilities Study Subcommittee of the 26
111	105		Legislative Council under this section, including any draft legislation. 27
112	106		(B) Upon adoption of the final written report filed under 28
113	107		subdivision (f)(1)(A) of this section, the Legislative Council shall submit a 29
114	108		copy of the adopted final written report to the Governor, the Speaker of the 30
115	109		House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. 31
116	110		(2) The final written report required under subdivision (f)(1) 32
117	111		of this section shall: 33
118	112		(A) Contain recommendations for the integration of the 34
119	113		services and programs considered during the study, including without 35
120		-	limitation any state department or agency reorganizations needed to achieve 36 ~~As Engrossed: S1/22/25~~ SB50
	114	+	limitation any state department or agency reorganizations needed to achieve 36 SB50
121	115
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123		-
124		-
	116	+	4 01/13/2025 1:14:50 PM JLL102
125	117		desired outcomes for the people of Arkansas; and 1
126	118		(B) Address the following key components: 2
127	119		(i) How current services and programs are organized 3
128	120		and administered at the state agency level; 4
129	121		(ii) A vision for how service delivery can be 5
130	122		integrated for the benefit of all Arkansans who rely on the services and 6
131	123		programs studied, including without limitation services and programs 7
132	124		delivered at the state, regional, and local levels; 8
133	125		(iii) Opportunities for financial integration and 9
134	126		efficient methods for allocating costs across multiple services and programs; 10
135	127		(iv) Recommendations on how supportive services, 11
136	128		such as child care, trauma recovery, and health insurance, can better support 12
137	129		employment outcomes; 13
138	130		(v) Identification of efficiencies leading to cost 14
139	131		savings that can be used for enhanced services, such as increased resource 15
140	132		availability for Arkansans to access education and training; and 16
141	133		(vi) Identification of opportunities for Arkansas to 17
142	134		participate in any federally authorized workforce demonstration project, 18
143	135		including without limitation provisions requiring waiver requests. 19
144	136		(g) During the course of the study required under this section, the 20
145	137		Director of the Division of Workforce Services shall provide updates to the 21
146	138		Hospital, Medicaid, and Developmental Disabilities Study Subcommittee of the 22
147	139		Legislative Council related to efforts by the United States Congress to 23
148	140		reauthorize and reform the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, 29 24
149	141		U.S.C. § 3101 et seq., including without limitation opportunities to 25
150	142		incorporate recommendations contained within the final report through new 26
151	143		demonstration and waiver authority or other changes to current federal laws. 27
152	144		(h) The study required under this section expires on December 31, 28
153	145		2026. 29
154	146		30
155		-	~~/s/J. Boyd~~ 31
	147	+	31
156	148		32
157	149		33
158		-	~~APPROVED: 2/25/25~~ 34
	150	+	34
159	151		35
160	152		36