Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 896 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S4/7/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 71 3
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By: Joint Budget Committee 5
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION FOR PERSONAL SERVICES 9
AND OPERATING EXPENSES FOR TRIAL COURT 10
ADMINISTRATORS, THE OFFICIAL COURT REPORTERS OF THE 11
CIRCUIT COURTS, JUVENILE PROBATION AND INTAKE 12
OFFICERS AND DRUG COURT JUVENILE PROBATION AND INTAKE 13
OFFICERS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2026; 14
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 15
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Subtitle 18
AN ACT FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF 19
THE COURTS - COURT PERSONNEL 20
APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025 -2026 FISCAL 21
YEAR. 22
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25
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SECTION 1. REGULAR SALARIES - TRIAL COURT ADMINISTRATORS. There is 27
hereby established for the Administrative Office of the Courts - Trial Court 28
Administrators for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year, the following maximum number of 29
regular employees. 30
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Maximum Annual 32
Maximum Salary Rate 33
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 34
No. Code Title Employees 2025 -2026 35
(1) Q226C TRIAL COURT ADMINISTRATOR 127 GRADE SGS08 36 As Engrossed: S4/7/25 SB71
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MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 127 1
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SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION - TRIAL COURT ADMINISTRATORS. There is hereby 3
appropriated, to the Administrative Office of the Courts, to be payable from 4
the State Central Services Fund, for personal services, Trial Court 5
Administrator Substitutes expenses and Trial Court Administrators expenses of 6
the Trial Court Administrators of the Circuit Courts for the fiscal year 7
ending June 30, 2026, the following: 8
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ITEM FISCAL YEAR 10
NO. 2025 -2026 11
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $7,610,945 12
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 2,754,074 13
(03) TRIAL COURT ADMINISTRATOR EXPENSES 175,000 14
(04) TRIAL COURT ADMINISTRATOR SUBSTITUTES 175,000 15
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $10,715,019 16
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SECTION 3. REGULAR SALARIES - COURT REPORTERS. There is hereby 18
established for the Administrative Office of the Courts - Official Court 19
Reporters of the Circuit Courts for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year, the following 20
maximum number of regular employees. 21
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Maximum Annual 23
Maximum Salary Rate 24
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 25
No. Code Title Employees 2025 -2026 26
(1) Q227C COURT REPORTER 127 GRADE SGS09 27
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 127 28
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SECTION 4. APPROPRIATION - COURT REPORTERS. There is hereby 30
appropriated, to the Administrative Office of the Courts, to be payable from 31
the State Central Services Fund, for personal services, expenses allowance, 32
indigent transcripts and court reporter substitutes of the Official Court 33
Reporters of the Circuit Courts for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the 34
following: 35
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ITEM FISCAL YEAR 1
NO. 2025 -2026 2
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $8,335,221 3
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 2,920,440 4
(03) EXPENSES ALLOWANCE 350,000 5
(04) INDIGENT TRANSCRIPTS 600,000 6
(05) COURT REPORTER SUBSTITUTES 375,000 7
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $12,580,661 8
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SECTION 5. APPROPRIATION - JUVENILE PROBATION & INTAKE OFFICERS. There 10
is hereby appropriated, to the Administrative Office of the Courts, to be 11
payable from the State Central Services Fund, for reimbursement of a portion 12
of the salaries of full -time juvenile probation and intake officers in 13
accordance with Arkansas Code 16 -13-327 and Arkansas Code 16 -13-328 for the 14
fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the following: 15
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ITEM FISCAL YEAR 17
NO. 2025 -2026 18
(01) JUVENILE PROBATION & INTAKE OFFICERS $4,618,100 19
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SECTION 6. REGULAR SALARIES - DRUG COURT JUVENILE PROBATION & INTAKE 21
OFFICERS. There is hereby established for the Administrative Office of the 22
Courts - Drug Court Juvenile Probation & Intake Officers for the 2025 -2026 23
fiscal year, the following maximum number of regular employees. 24
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Maximum Annual 26
Maximum Salary Rate 27
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 28
No. Code Title Employees 2025 -2026 29
(1) Q231C DRUG COURT JUV PROB & INTAKE OFF 13 GRADE SGS08 30
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 13 31
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SECTION 7. APPROPRIATION - DRUG COURT JUVENILE PROBATION & INTAKE 33
OFFICERS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Administrative Office of the 34
Courts, to be payable from the State Central Services Fund, for personal 35
services for the Drug Court Juvenile Probation & Intake Officers and 36 As Engrossed: S4/7/25 SB71
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operating expenses for risk assessment and behavioral screenings for the 1
fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the following: 2
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ITEM FISCAL YEAR 4
NO. 2025 -2026 5
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $718,242 6
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 267,941 7
(03) ASSESSMENT-SCREENINGS EXPENSES 87,500 8
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $1,073,683 9
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SECTION 8. COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS. Disbursement of funds 11
authorized by this act shall be limited to the appropriation for such agency 12
and funds made available by law for the support of such appropriations; and 13
the restrictions of the State Procurement Law, the General Accounting and 14
Budgetary Procedures Law, the Revenue Stabilization Law, the Regular Salary 15
Procedures and Restrictions Act, or their successors, and other fiscal 16
control laws of this State, where applicable, and regulations promulgated by 17
the Department of Finance and Administration, as authorized by law, shall be 18
strictly complied with in disbursement of said funds. 19
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SECTION 9. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General 21
Assembly that any funds disbursed under the authority of the appropriations 22
contained in this act shall be in compliance with the stated reasons for 23
which this act was adopted, as evidenced by the Agency Requests, Executive 24
Recommendations and Legislative Recommendations contained in the budget 25
manuals prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration, letters, or 26
summarized oral testimony in the official minutes of the Arkansas Legislative 27
Council or Joint Budget Committee which relate to its passage and adoption. 28
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SECTION 10. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 30
General Assembly, that the Constitution of the State of Arkansas prohibits 31
the appropriation of funds for more than a one (1) year period; that the 32
effectiveness of this Act on July 1, 2025 is essential to the operation of 33
the agency for which the appropriations in this Act are provided, and that in 34
the event of an extension of the legislative session, the delay in the 35
effective date of this Act beyond July 1, 2025 could work irreparable harm 36 As Engrossed: S4/7/25 SB71
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upon the proper administration and provision of essential governmental 1
programs. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this Act 2
being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health 3
and safety shall be in full force and effect from and after July 1, 2025. 4
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/s/Joint Budget Committee 6
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APPROVED: 4/18/25 9
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