TO CREATE THE REGULATORY DIVISION AND THE REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT DIVISION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION; AND TO ALLOW PERSONNEL OF THE REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO BE DESIGNATED AS AGENTS.

Arkansas unifies alcohol, tobacco, and gambling enforcement

The law creates a Regulatory Division within Arkansas’s Department of Finance and Administration, with a Regulatory Enforcement Division inside it. The Regulatory Division oversees Alcoholic Beverage Control, Arkansas Tobacco Control, the Arkansas Racing Commission, and the new enforcement division. The department’s secretary appoints both leaders and can remove them. The Regulatory Administrator reports to the secretary; the Enforcement Director reports to the administrator. The law combines existing alcohol and tobacco enforcement functions in the new division and makes it a law enforcement agency. Its director must assign agents to investigate state laws on tobacco, alcohol, medical marijuana, and gambling. These agents are full-time law enforcement officers with statewide authority. They also investigate rules of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Medical Marijuana Commission, and Tobacco Control Board, reporting findings to the relevant board. The director can refer investigations to prosecutors or other law enforcement agencies.