Commerce emergency rule raises Community Assistance Grants pool to $10 million, increases award cap to $1.5 million

Jay Quinley, director of legislative affairs for the Arkansas Department of Commerce, told the committee the emergency rule would amend the Community Assistance Grants Program to reflect a new appropriation that increased the program pool to $10 million. “This was an existing grant program within the Department of Commerce. Prior it had never been adequately fund,” Quinley said. He added the new rule increases the pool of eligible applicants to include certain nonprofits and “raises the award cap from $50,000 to $1,500,000.”

A committee member asked for examples of the nonprofits the rule would add; Quinley said the rule text targets nonprofits that participate in community development and assistance projects, including construction or renovation of community centers, libraries, public health projects, and police or firefighting equipment.

The committee approved the proposed emergency rule without objection, effective 12:01 a.m. April 5, 2025. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote nor identify a mover; approval was by unanimous consent. The rule is contingent on the appropriation enacted during the legislative session and is intended to reflect that newly available funding.

The department did not provide additional eligibility definitions or the full administrative-code citation in the hearing record; committee members did not propose amendments during the discussion.