[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6318025,"mediaKeyId","2368163-03a353fc89d91f7cd18d27fbfb2ccd23","parentId",2368163,"title","DHS seeks $50 million to continue summer EBT; officials say funding is mostly federal with small state match","audioSeconds",325,"startMs",2447000,"endMs",2772000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2368163-03a353fc89d91f7cd18d27fbfb2ccd23&start=2447&end=2772","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2368163-03a353fc89d91f7cd18d27fbfb2ccd23/thumbnail_2447000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6318025/Arkansas/DHS-seeks-50-million-to-continue-summer-EBT-officials-say-funding-is-mostly-federal-with-small-state-match","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6318025-1213fab94aad01ede4f88abca6edd90b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775663880&Signature=GKqjWs221pzwDmZoO3EfnZJHCiz-p-siV5sKrKd0zBS-fYN78NvuTQ8YSyoPtZDRn1KzFYQ6tzIeo7pFRfXWK7qmIFbCu~IwmJIo6neHyGegX9YDfZKNpGdwOn5COo1U3xj0qy5gIY52lPqhyr7oNleZogse-nxYCanEYHsCyt61G7sXv~iJBNHtFWo7S0NMx3AWqnhiSxjqX22SHquuyJC-w1x5-jEPyHJtz9O52mU7d3QWUNy5wmNuGMcXkURnLcr3BjW-r~arJdT4V5WZAwCVxEZ9u93EkCWRXcWujS4LLsDMRUVPaCdR2vtmLsh3X1Wp2rTBsymdUp52DNlZGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arkansas Legislature","date","2025-02-20T00:00:00Z","article","The Department of Human Services told the Joint Budget Committee that Governor’s letter No. 7 would add roughly $50 million in appropriation authority to continue the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program across the fiscal-year boundary so children can receive benefits through summer 2025.

Mary Franklin, director of the Division of County Operations at the Department of Human Services, told the committee that the program served a little over 293,000 children in summer 2024 and that the agency is estimating between about 350,000 and 370,000 children for the coming summer. Franklin said the $50 million helps the program continue across the state fiscal year change and covers estimated benefits plus administrative costs.

Jim Hudson, secretary at the Department of Finance and Administration, and Misty Eubanks, deputy secretary for operations and budget at DHS, answered questions about funding sources. Eubanks said the appropriation is primarily federal funds that go directly to EBT cards, and the state match is about $2.9 million. Eubanks also said Governor Sanders has publicly suggested using medical‑marijuana tax receipts to cover the state match; committee staff confirmed a statutory change allowing that use had been passed earlier in the session.

Committee members asked whether \"participants\" referred to children or families; Franklin confirmed the agency counts individual children. Senator Payton asked whether this is a new total or an additional $50 million; staff said this appropriation adds the authority because previous practice used temporary appropriations while the program was piloted.

Several senators asked whether the department can protect the program if federal funding were cut. Committee staff and fiscal officials said the appropriation opens the account for the program; it is primarily supported with federal funding and would need different legislative action to replace lost federal funds.

No final committee roll call was recorded on the record excerpt for the governor’s letter during this segment; staff said the letter will be drafted into bill form and brought back to the committee for formal action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Budget Committee Feb 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Department of Human Services told the Joint Budget Committee that Governor’s letter No. 7 would add roughly $50 million in appropriation authority to continue the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program across the fiscal-year boundary so children can receive benefits through summer 2025.","taxTitle","JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE, Joint, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas","taxId",21185,"location","Arkansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6318029,"Insurance department says it will publish penalty structure after PBM enforcement raised questions",1818,142000,1960000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2368163-03a353fc89d91f7cd18d27fbfb2ccd23&start=142&end=1960","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2368163-03a353fc89d91f7cd18d27fbfb2ccd23/thumbnail_142000.jpg","/articles/6318029/Arkansas/Insurance-department-says-it-will-publish-penalty-structure-after-PBM-enforcement-raised-questions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6318029-fc93809c334b48389b07f9252ce48db9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775663880&Signature=CIbb6Lt9S76v7ZeTC6Eq-gj8z~ASS5HTJQTPvKBt7HqbreENqY3VIptHZDCDXTsEqfB7n~Zx8~ajgp2az~UOnndT02l~UGsphCuWB5W4B5cuJ0unuDcd5-UiV9oH8jwV4fmgt5~J7GMUzRvmvzQDqCQjaACXiPBk-hhk~r6jtV6EtoLSHZfPSISOmbkC25Et-pmABXjTGfyUOGjsFbYeqc1ez1USPdBMXApGuLI8I8LokM4c1xjtC6mu9BoFlopuR4Kapn3SiMyvwI0ofWWA9GrMYryw5ftmloibxWBPMeVxsyiLfztpRR6AJr1q~yq1lJZYm1QHpJM9MKCGbZSIMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Arkansas Insurance Department told the Joint Budget Committee during its meeting that it will publish a penalty structure to govern enforcement under emergency Rule 128 for pharmacy benefit manager behavior after the department’s first set of July enforcements prompted questions about large fines for small pricing deviations.

The clarification follows committee questioning about fines that began at the statutory maximum. Daniel Hall, general counsel for the PBM Division at the Arkansas Insurance Department, told the committee, \"We have the authority to assess a penalty up to $5,000.\" Hall and other department staff said the department will issue a bulletin establishing a graduated penalty schedule so penalties start lower for initial violations and increase for repeat infractions.

The issue arose after pharmacy owners and several legislators raised examples in which reimbursements were measured as fractions of a cent or a few dimes below the pricing benchmark used by the department. \"A lot of the infractions were less than 30¢. Some of them even were less than a fraction of a cent,\" said Booth Ran, general counsel (transcript), describing the kinds of deviations that prompted negotiations with PBMs. Committee members said that assessing the same maximum civil penalty for both small and large deviations risked appearing unreasonable and could undermine deterrence and credibility.

Representative Wooten, pressing for tougher enforcement, said the state must send a firm signal: \"We need to slam the door on the first thing and get their attention because they are hurting our pharmacists in the state as well as the taxpayers.\" Other lawmakers urged the department to balance proportionality and deterrence — several senators suggested an escalating schedule tied to both the amount below the benchmark and the frequency of violations.

Department staff explained the practical challenge: the federal pricing benchmark (NADAC) changes weekly, and a prescription fill can fall on different weekly snapshots. Amy Seal, director of the PBM department at the Arkansas Insurance Department, and Daniel Hall said the bulletin will address timing and volume considerations so assessments more fairly reflect pricing fluctuations and operational realities.

Committee members also discussed possible restitution and the disposition of civil penalties. Committee members were told that fines assessed by the department currently go to state general revenue, and that using fine receipts to reimburse harmed pharmacies would require special legislation or an appropriation change. Department staff said the Arkansas insurance code contains authority for the commissioner to order restitution to economically harmed parties, though the department does not routinely exercise that option.

The insurance department's report (item B‑1) was filed with the committee; staff were excused after the presentation. In discussion the department repeatedly described a near-term plan to issue a bulletin that (1) establishes tiered fines tied to amount and frequency of NADAC deviations and (2) clarifies how weekly NADAC snapshots will be evaluated for individual claims so as to reduce the risk of \"gotcha\" complaints based on timing.

The committee’s discussion included concerns about the operational costs for pharmacies, which committee members said can be $10–$12 in staff time and administrative work to fill a prescription even when reimbursement deviates by only a few cents. Staff said Rule 128 also contains provisions to address pharmacy administrative reimbursement separate from fines for violations.

The department’s staff indicated they expect to publish the bulletin and follow a staged enforcement approach going forward, but they did not provide an exact date for publication at the meeting.","State insurance staff told the Joint Budget Committee they are writing a bulletin to clarify penalties under emergency Rule 128 for pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) violations after initial July enforcements drew criticism for large flat fines applied to very small pricing deviations.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6318022,"Amendment to reallocate Arkansas Youth Expo funds to county fairs fails after roll call",279,1999000,2278000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2368163-03a353fc89d91f7cd18d27fbfb2ccd23&start=1999&end=2278","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2368163-03a353fc89d91f7cd18d27fbfb2ccd23/thumbnail_1999000.jpg","/articles/6318022/Arkansas/Amendment-to-reallocate-Arkansas-Youth-Expo-funds-to-county-fairs-fails-after-roll-call","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6318022-7fe40847cf09b8aa2b575d176ef5d435/orig.mp4?Expires=1775663880&Signature=o6-Q8JI7IRfdn6dqpzEi0nJ9Zt1NO-4IAAxJRLUFr8bcygTShJzEsjDzsWITLU7I5jsCWte-4gd~4yylV9Sgw~jy2553zM2j5ZIvGfDdYslb1-5O7nbk48e83aN5qfNNaZwVyPmvKyY6qPw1dNVWOLRRaSuCT7kyfje1GsyxiFBBqL5r4NgMQw35x540byOfqwkufAz6YJRMD7GWISgahoGdYQ~0vKEWfkk2~iUYPtP~R7AbGHvishRrItnlTznOUKCHwtIeibPOGL9Fey5xgPcICoMuiUgGjXzrX2HzLo6iT7ZuaZY4NWmhP7mwFthA6jYXwl16tAjF79jUYhlNyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","An amendment to Senate Bill 106 that would have reallocated $42,600 from the Arkansas Youth Expo line item to county fairs failed after a roll call vote in the Joint Budget Committee.

Representative Kavanaugh, explaining the measure, said he reduced the Arkansas Youth Expo appropriation to $5,400 \"to match the rest of the livestock shows in the state\" and proposed dividing the remaining $42,600 across county fair line items. \"I'm taking AYE's funding down to $5,400 to match the rest of the livestock shows,\" Kavanaugh said when introducing the amendment.

Senator Hester spoke against the amendment, saying it would take money away from an event that served many children across the state and urged the committee to leave the appropriation intact. \"We want to take funding from something that 1,500 Arkansas kids out of 72 counties participated in last year,\" Hester said, arguing the Expo benefits multiple districts.

The committee took a roll-call vote on the amendment. The committee clerk announced a tally and said the motion did not receive the votes needed; the clerk stated it required 15 votes and received 9 in the affirmative. The clerk then moved on to the next amendment.

No additional detail about the precise yes/no list was recorded in the excerpted transcript beyond the roll‑call exchange and the clerk’s announcement of the outcome. The amendment text reallocates $42,600 from the Arkansas Youth Expo line item to county fair line items within the Department of Agriculture appropriation for fiscal adjustments under Senate Bill 106.","Representative Kavanaugh’s amendment to Senate Bill 106, which would move $42,600 from the Arkansas Youth Expo appropriation to county fairs, failed on a roll call after debate about whether the change would reduce benefits to youth who attend the Expo.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DHS seeks $50 million to continue summer EBT; officials say funding is mostly federal with small state match

Insurance department says it will publish penalty structure after PBM enforcement raised questions

Amendment to reallocate Arkansas Youth Expo funds to county fairs fails after roll call