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Commerce emergency rule expands Community Assistance Grants after $10 million appropriation
Summary
The Arkansas Department of Commerce proposed and the committee approved an emergency rule amending the Community Assistance Grants Program to reflect a $10 million appropriation, expand eligible applicants to certain nonprofits, and raise the per-award cap to $1.5 million; the rule takes effect April 5, 2025.
The Judiciary Committee — House reviewed an emergency rule from the Arkansas Department of Commerce to amend the Community Assistance Grants Program and approved it to be effective at 12:01 a.m. April 5, 2025.
Jay Quinley, director of legislative affairs for the Arkansas Department of Commerce, told the committee the change reflects a session appropriation that increased the grant program to $10,000,000. "The two major changes are it increases the pool of eligible applicants to include certain non profits and it raises the award cap from $50,000 to $1,500,000," Quinley said.
Quinley said the expanded eligibility is limited to nonprofits that participate in the types of community development and assistance projects covered by the program. He gave examples in the rule text including construction or renovation of community centers and libraries and the purchase of public health or police and firefighting equipment. The department said the rule matches the higher appropriation passed by the Legislature this session.
Committee members asked for clarification about the phrase "certain non profits." Quinley responded that the rule text outlines the eligible nonprofit applicants as those involved in the program’s covered activities.
The committee approved the proposed emergency rule without objection; no roll-call vote was recorded on the transcript. The rule was set to be effective 12:01 a.m. April 5, 2025.
