Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law. Act 13 of the Regular Session *JAR031* 01/13/2025 8:34:58 AM JAR031 State of Arkansas 1 95th General Assembly A Bill 2 Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 53 3 4 By: Joint Budget Committee 5 6 7 For An Act To Be Entitled 8 AN ACT TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION FOR MAINTAINING AND 9 OPERATING A CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR THE 10 COUNTY CLERKS, CIRCUIT CLERKS, COUNTY TREASURERS, 11 COUNTY COLLECTORS AND COUNTY CORONERS FOR THE FISCAL 12 YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2026; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 13 14 15 Subtitle 16 AN ACT FOR THE AUDITOR OF STATE - 17 CONTINUING EDUCATION OF LOCAL OFFICIALS 18 APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025 -2026 FISCAL 19 YEAR. 20 21 22 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 23 24 SECTION 1. APPROPRIATION - CONTINUING EDUCATION - COUNTY CLERKS. There 25 is hereby appropriated, to the Auditor of State, to be payable from the 26 County and Circuit Clerks Continuing Education Fund , for the County Clerks' 27 Continuing Education Board in carrying out the responsibilities for 28 maintaining and operating a continuing education program and certification 29 program for county clerks by the County Clerks' Continuing Education Board 30 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the following: 31 32 ITEM FISCAL YEAR 33 NO. 2025-2026 34 (01) EXPENSES FOR COUNTY CLERKS CONTINUING 35 EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM $75,000 36 SB53 2 01/13/2025 8:34:58 AM JAR031 1 SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION - CONTINUING EDUCATION - CIRCUIT CLERKS. 2 There is hereby appropriated, to the Auditor of State, to be payable from the 3 County and Circuit Clerks Continuing Education Fund , for the Circuit Clerks' 4 Continuing Education Board in carrying out the responsibilities for 5 maintaining and operating a continuing education program and certification 6 program for circuit clerks by the Circuit Clerks' Continuing Education Board 7 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the following: 8 9 ITEM FISCAL YEAR 10 NO. 2025-2026 11 (01) EXPENSES FOR CIRCUIT CLERKS 12 CONTINUING EDUCATION AND 13 CERTIFICATION PROGRAM $75,000 14 15 SECTION 3. APPROPRIATION - CONTINUING EDUCATION - COUNTY TREASURERS. 16 There is hereby appropriated, to the Auditor of State, to be payable from the 17 County Treasurer's Continuing Education Fund , for the County Treasurer's 18 Continuing Education Board in carrying out the responsibilities for 19 maintaining and operating a continuing education program for county 20 treasurers by the County Treasurer's Continuing Education Board for the 21 fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the following: 22 23 ITEM FISCAL YEAR 24 NO. 2025-2026 25 (01) MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF 26 CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM $75,000 27 28 SECTION 4. APPROPRIATION - CONTINUING EDUCATION - COUNTY COLLECTORS. 29 There is hereby appropriated, to the Auditor of State, to be payable from the 30 County Collector's Continuing Education Trust Fund , for the County 31 Collector's Continuing Education Board in carrying out the responsibilities 32 for maintaining and operating a continuing education program and 33 certification program for county collectors by the County Collector's 34 Continuing Education Board for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the 35 following: 36 SB53 3 01/13/2025 8:34:58 AM JAR031 1 ITEM FISCAL YEAR 2 NO. 2025-2026 3 (01) MAINTENANCE & OPERATION OF CONTINUING 4 EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION PROGRAM $75,000 5 6 SECTION 5. APPROPRIATION - CONTINUING EDUCATION - COUNTY CORONERS. 7 There is hereby appropriated, to the Auditor of State, to be payable from the 8 County Coroners Continuing Education Fund , for carrying out the 9 responsibilities and maintaining and operating a continuing education program 10 and certification program for county coroners by the Arkansas Commission on 11 Law Enforcement Standards and Training for the fiscal year ending June 30, 12 2026, the following: 13 14 ITEM FISCAL YEAR 15 NO. 2025-2026 16 (01) EXPENSES FOR COUNTY CORONERS 17 CONTINUING EDUCATION AND 18 CERTIFICATION PROGRAM $125,000 19 20 SECTION 6. COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS. Disbursement of funds 21 authorized by this act shall be limited to the appropriation for such agency 22 and funds made available by law for the support of such appropriations; and 23 the restrictions of the State Procurement Law, the General Accounting and 24 Budgetary Procedures Law, the Revenue Stabilization Law, the Regular Salary 25 Procedures and Restrictions Act, or their successors, and other fiscal 26 control laws of this State, where applicable, and regulations promulgated by 27 the Department of Finance and Administration, as authorized by law, shall be 28 strictly complied with in disbursement of said funds. 29 30 SECTION 7. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General 31 Assembly that any funds disbursed under the authority of the appropriations 32 contained in this act shall be in compliance with the stated reasons for 33 which this act was adopted, as evidenced by the Agency Requests, Executive 34 Recommendations and Legislative Recommendations contained in the budget 35 manuals prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration, letters, or 36 SB53 4 01/13/2025 8:34:58 AM JAR031 summarized oral testimony in the official minutes of the Arkansas Legislative 1 Council or Joint Budget Committee which relate to its passage and adoption. 2 3 SECTION 8. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the General 4 Assembly, that the Constitution of the State of Arkansas prohibits the 5 appropriation of funds for more than a one (1) year period; that the 6 effectiveness of this Act on July 1, 2025 is essential to the operation of 7 the agency for which the appropriations in this Act are provided, and that in 8 the event of an extension of the legislative session, the delay in the 9 effective date of this Act beyond July 1, 2025 could work irreparable harm 10 upon the proper administration and provision of essential governmental 11 programs. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this Act 12 being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health 13 and safety shall be in full force and effect from and after July 1, 2025. 14 15 16 APPROVED: 1/30/25 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36