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Committee adopts legal‑aid and ARPA reporting amendments; maternal‑health reporting amendment approved; multiple amendments released back to joint budget
Summary
At the Joint Budget Committee (special language) meeting, members adopted amendments altering funding distribution for public legal aid, changed ARPA reporting frequency, approved a maternal‑health reporting amendment, and released several amendments back to joint budget.
The committee took several procedural and substantive votes on special‑language items during the session.
House Bill 1202 — amendment on legal‑aid distribution: Representative Collins presented an amendment to House Bill 1202 that struck language splitting a fund (previously shown as 45%/55%) and directed the full amount to Legal Aid of Arkansas. Collins said the change eliminates the prior split and that “the 100% will go to the remaining entity, which is Legal Aid of Arkansas.” After brief questioning about the historical split between Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) and whether the change altered total funding, the committee adopted the amendment by voice vote.
ARPA reporting frequency — DFA governor’s letter: Andy Babbit of the Division of Finance and Administration (DFA) told the committee the governor’s proposed change would convert ARPA reporting to the Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC) from monthly to biennial and would end reporting six months after the final ARPA disbursement. The committee adopted the amendment.
Maternal health grant reporting — Representative Garner amendment: Representative Garner presented an amendment originating from the maternal health working group that directs reporting on state grants to pregnancy resource centers. Garner said the goal is to “know what they’re using the grant money that they’re getting from the state for” so gaps in maternal health coverage can be identified. The committee adopted the amendment by voice vote.
Release of amendments to joint budget: The committee released several amendment packages back to joint budget for additional consideration, including the amendment to House Bill 1389, the amendment by Representative Crawford to House Bill 1577, and the amendment by Representative McCullough to House Bill 1635.
All vote outcomes recorded in the transcript were voice votes; the committee chair announced each adoption. The transcript records no roll‑call tallies for these actions.
