All Roll Calls
Yes: 129 • No: 0
ArkansasSB1282025 Regular SessionSenate
AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR.
Sponsored By: Joint Budget Committee
Enacted
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
12 provisions identified: 11 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Funding keeps university medical services running
For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the law authorizes $149.403947 million from the University of Arkansas Medical Center Fund. It also authorizes $2.52085 billion in cash funds for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The first budget includes $112.539654 million for salaries, $6.561549 million for regional campuses, and $6.136368 million for Children's Hospital salaries and indigent care. The cash budget includes $1.1 billion for salaries, $150 million for capital improvements, and $550,000 for pharmacy student loans. It also includes $10 million for indigent care and breast cancer research grants or aid. These budgets fund operations and programs, not guaranteed payments or services to individual patients.
Loans and training support health students
For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the law sets aside $750,000 for authorized UAMS loan and scholarship programs. This includes $150,000 each for advanced nursing practice community match, rural advanced nursing practice, and medical community match. Rural medical practice receives $300,000. Transfers between medical loan and scholarship budget lines can support Rural Medical Practice and Community Match programs. The law states no individual award amount or guaranteed approval. Funding can also support medical, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health students and medical residents at UAMS programs outside Little Rock. This act does not create another medical school.
Domestic violence shelters receive equal grants
For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the law provides $3.05 million from the Domestic Peace Fund. It includes $2 million for domestic violence shelter operations and $1.05 million for statewide shelter grants. Covered grants must be divided equally among shelters selected by the Arkansas Child Abuse/Rape/Domestic Violence Commission. The Commission can adopt rules for the grants. This funding does not guarantee survivors a shelter place or cash payment.
Adult sickle cell clinics receive funding
For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the law provides $379,993 for the UAMS Adult Sickle Cell Disease Program. Medical-center funds cover staff and operating costs to establish and run clinics and outreach. The law does not promise patients a payment or a specific level of access.
Cancer care and screening receive funding
For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the law authorizes $41.35 million for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. That includes $18.5 million for salaries, $6 million for operations, $6 million for capital improvements, and $4 million for capital purchases. It also includes $1.35 million for the institute's nurse navigation program. Separate budgets provide $5 million for colorectal cancer screening and research and $1.694216 million for breast cancer education, outreach, research, and grants. To support National Cancer Institute designation, the Chief Fiscal Officer can transfer available medical-center or cash funds into the designation trust fund. Transfers require a Chancellor or designee request, a finding that enough money is available, and prior legislative budget review. The funding does not guarantee any patient a screening, service, or payment.
Children's Hospital gets designated care funding
Beginning July 1, 2025, Arkansas Children's Hospital receives 33⅓% of available funds from the specified indigent-care budget line. That line covers Children's Hospital grants, regular salaries, and operating expenses for indigent care. At the hospital's request, UAMS can transfer the money to the Department of Human Services Grants Fund Account. Transferred money must match federal funds for supplemental Medicaid payments to the hospital. This rule applies during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and does not change patient eligibility.
Funding helps children facing abuse and trauma
For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the law provides $2.124057 million for children's and adolescents' trauma programs. It supports treatment, community providers, training, medical exams, consultation, and advocate education through the Psychiatric Research Institute and Pediatrics Department. Another $1 million supports child abuse and neglect programs, including grants to state agencies, child advocacy centers, and child safety centers. A separate rule requires at least $700,000 for abused-child and adolescent services when annual general revenue meets or exceeds the 2012–2013 distribution level for Pediatrics and the Psychiatric Research Institute. Required allocations include $450,000 for screening, monitoring, care, training, and protocols through Child Safety Centers or UAMS. Up to $50,000 of that allocation can cover administration; another $200,000 goes to Pediatrics for exams, consultation, education, and training. These budgets do not guarantee an individual family a service or payment.
Funding supports mothers and newborn health
For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the law provides $2 million from the maternal health workforce trust fund. That money supports financial aid, education, and training; individual aid amounts and eligibility are not stated. It also provides $500,000 for the certified nurse midwifery program and $1.7 million for Arkansas Breast Milk Bank operations. The Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Program receives $796,000 for staff, operations, travel, grants, and contracts. These program budgets do not guarantee a particular family a service or payment.
Poison advice and health data receive funding
For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center gets $1.828587 million in general-revenue support. The law also provides $299,959 in additional support for its poison and drug information services. The Arkansas Health Data Initiative receives $802,879 for staff, operations, and grants. These budgets support public health information work, not individual cash benefits.
Specialized children's clinic operations receive funding
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law authorizes $175,000 in cash funds for UAMS's PANS/PANDAS Clinic and Programs. The money covers staff and operating costs through June 30, 2026. It funds clinic operations rather than direct payments to patients.
Unused university funding can carry forward
Beginning July 1, 2025, recipients can carry unused general-revenue funds into the next fiscal year for the same purposes. The limit is 10% of funded appropriations. Recipients must send a written request and reasons to the state finance department's budget office before June 30, 2026. The department must report amounts and supporting information to the Arkansas Legislative Council by its September meeting. Recipients must also report fund use and project status at least 30 days before presenting their budget requests. Spending remains subject to state purchasing, accounting, salary, and higher-education spending rules.
Medical university hiring comes with pay limits
For 2025–2026, UAMS and its affiliates have a ceiling of 12,761 regular positions and authorization for 1,565 temporary or part-time workers. Annual salary ceilings include $685,678 for the Medical Center CEO, $483,460 for the Chancellor, and $466,687 for the Provost. Faculty ceilings include $567,260 for Distinguished Professor, $392,183 for Professor, and $359,501 for Associate Professor. Assistant Professor pay is capped at $339,892; Instructor and Research Instructor pay is capped at $269,448. Temporary workers' pay cannot exceed applicable state pay limits. A 600-position growth pool covers medical and administrative jobs, with university requests, Board review, and state higher-education and legislative approval. Growth-pool pay cannot exceed the highest salary ceiling in the act. A separate 700-position pool covers unexpected clinical or research needs, with Chancellor action and Board review. Quarterly public reports must list workers' names, titles, salaries, funding sources, and funding duration. Continuing temporary pool jobs in later years requires new budget requests; neither jobs nor maximum pay are guaranteed.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Joint Budget Committee
Affiliation unavailable
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 4/7/2025
House Vote - Monday, April 7, 2025 2:30:18 PM
Yes: 96 • No: 0 • Other: 1
Senate vote • 4/3/2025
Senate Vote - Thursday, April 3, 2025 2:38:10 PM
Yes: 33 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Notification that SB128 is now Act 533
4/10/2025SenateDELIVERED TO GOVERNOR.
4/8/2025SenateReported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
4/8/2025SenateORDERED ENROLLED
4/7/2025SenateReturned from the House as passed.
4/7/2025SenateReturned to the Senate as passed.
4/7/2025HouseEMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
4/7/2025HouseRead the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
4/7/2025HouseRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the CALENDAR.
4/3/2025HouseRECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
4/3/2025HouseOrdered Immediately transmitted to the House.
4/3/2025SenateEMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
4/3/2025SenateRead the third time and passed.
4/3/2025SenateReturned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass
4/2/2025SenateRe-referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE
3/17/2025SenateREPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
3/17/2025SenateAmendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
3/17/2025SenateWithdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1
3/17/2025SenateRead first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE
1/27/2025SenateFiled
1/27/2025Senate
Bill Text
SB128 - Introduced
1/27/2025
Act Version
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