State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs committee approves emergency rules, two contract packages and a Conway school waiver; hears preliminary film production study

The Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee voted to approve two emergency rules, authorized broker and management agreements contingent on pending legislation, accepted a procurement-study addendum, extended a consulting agreement and approved a Conway School District purchasing waiver during its meeting. The committee also received an initial film production study and heard preliminary economic findings.

The committee reviewed an emergency rule from the Arkansas Department of Human Services to implement Act 675 of 2023 and to revise categorical eligibility resource limits. Christy Putnam, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, told the committee the department updated the rule after receiving technical assistance and legal clarification and identified a benefit that could be extended to households deemed SNAP-eligible. “We were under the impression initially that we needed to look for some state match funding,” Putnam said, “What we needed to do was look for a benefit that could be extended to all households that could be considered SNAP eligible.” The committee approved the proposed emergency rule to be effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 5, 2025, by voice vote without objection.

Members then considered an emergency rule from the Department of Commerce to amend the Community Assistance Grants Program rules. Jay Quinley, director of legislative affairs for the Department of Commerce, said the legislature appropriated $10,000,000 for the program, expanding applicant eligibility to include certain nonprofits and increasing the single-award cap from $50,000 to $1,500,000. Quinley described qualifying projects as community development activities such…