House Education Committee approves emergency rules, grants changes, contracts and Conway school construction waiver

The House Education Committee reviewed and approved several emergency rules, contracts and a school waiver at a meeting of the House Education Committee on April 5, 2025. Members approved an Arkansas Department of Human Services emergency rule implementing Act 675 of 2023 on broad-based categorical eligibility for SNAP-related benefits, an amended Department of Commerce emergency rule expanding the Community Assistance Grants program after a $10 million appropriation, authorization for Bureau of Legislative Research contracts tied to a proposed captive program, acceptance of an addendum to a procurement study report, a three-month extension of a CASA consulting agreement, and a waiver request from Conway Public Schools to exceed cooperative purchasing limits for a renovation project.

The most immediate action was review and approval of an emergency rule from the Arkansas Department of Human Services to implement Act 675 of 2023 and update SNAP-related resource limits. Christy Putnam, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, told the committee the department had initially “made it more complicated than it needed to be” while seeking technical and legal clarification. The rule adds an eligibility definition and updates resource limits to $5,500 for households in compliance with Act 675 of 2023. The committee approved the emergency rule to be effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 5, 2025.

The committee next reviewed an…