# Arkansas SB36: AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES - DIVISION OF AGING, ADULT, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. Arkansas SB36, AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES - DIVISION OF AGING, ADULT, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Joint Budget Committee; status enacted, last action 2025-04-21 (Notification that SB36 is now Act 890); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB36-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas SB36 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES - DIVISION OF AGING, ADULT, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. - Status: enacted - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-01-13 - Last action: 2025-04-21, Notification that SB36 is now Act 890 - Sponsor: Joint Budget Committee - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (131 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 13 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Arkansas Health Center must stay open: benefit, high. From July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the Department of Human Services cannot close the Arkansas Health Center. It must keep accepting clients it finds need skilled nursing and specialized services. Moving center funds or cutting them below the approved March 1, 2003 level requires prior Legislative Cou… - Funding supports care outside nursing homes: benefit, medium. From July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, nursing home alternative funds can support meals, adult day care, and household help. They can also support respite care, personal care, health promotion, and other community services. The funds can provide matching money for Medicaid community-based programs. The l… - Extra pay allowed for state clinicians: benefit, medium. From July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, certain state behavioral health clinicians can receive special pay allowances. Covered jobs are Psychiatric Specialist, DHS Behavioral Health General Physician, and Psychologist Supervisor. Allowances can use patient professional income or federal or private funds u… - State Hospital teachers get matched workdays: benefit, medium. From July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the division director must align workdays for covered Arkansas State Hospital teachers. Certified Masters and Certified Bachelors Teachers must work the same number of days as matching jobs at the Arkansas Schools for the Blind and Deaf. Teachers hired on or after J… - Funding and staff for state care: benefit, medium. For fiscal year 2025–2026, the law provides about $148.5 million for Arkansas aging, adult, and behavioral health operations. The money covers salaries, benefits, overtime, operating costs, travel, professional fees, and equipment. The division can employ up to 1,179 regular workers and 347 tempora… - Grants support community alcohol safety: benefit, low. The law provides about $2.4 million for community alcohol safety grants and aid for the year ending June 30, 2026. The money comes from the Highway Safety Special Fund. It supports local safety work, not a direct household payment or statewide benefit entitlement. - Matching funds support Arkansas Senior Olympics: benefit, low. The law provides $70,000 in state matching funds for the Arkansas Senior Olympics from the Behavioral Health Services Fund Account. From July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the state pays two dollars for each local dollar. The Senior Arkansas Sports Organization must certify its share before the state pays… - Crisis care funding can carry forward: benefit, low. For the year ending June 30, 2026, the law provides $5 million for crisis intervention grants and operating costs. The money comes from the Behavioral Health Services Fund Account, and unspent crisis funds can carry into the next year for the same purposes. The agency must submit a written explanat… - Funding for mental health and treatment: benefit, low. For the year ending June 30, 2026, the law provides about $47.6 million for mental health grants and aid. It provides about $49.7 million for alcohol and drug education, prevention, and treatment from the Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund. A separate $70,000 cash appropriation supports the P… - Funding for senior meals and services: benefit, low. For the year ending June 30, 2026, aging and adult services receive about $56.2 million. This includes about $22.8 million for nutrition, $10 million for senior centers, and $4.8 million for nursing home alternatives. It also includes about $17.4 million for project grants, $1.05 million for older… - Mental health grants support veterans: benefit, low. The law provides $5 million for veterans mental health grants for the year ending June 30, 2026. Grants go to veterans service organizations to support veterans and their families. The State Chief Fiscal Officer determines the paying account. The law does not set an individual veteran's benefit amo… - New matching grants for senior meals: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the new Fight Senior Hunger program has $400,000 for state matching grants. Counties, cities, and nonprofits qualifying under the 501(c)(3) rules as they existed January 1, 2025, can apply. Applicants need an approved written food plan and proof of local pledges or contribut… - Senior centers get protected funding: benefit, low. For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, senior center funds follow the federal Older Americans Act funding formula. Added money must supplement existing service funding, not replace it. Increases require any needed federal Medicare and Medicaid agency approval and added state general revenue; they cannot e… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Joint Budget Committee ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-10 | House | House Vote - Thursday, April 10, 2025 4:50:22 PM | pass | 97 | 0 | | | 2025-04-09 | Senate | Senate Vote - Wednesday, April 9, 2025 2:15:35 PM | pass | 34 | 0 | | ## Actions (26) - 2025-04-21: Notification that SB36 is now Act 890 (Senate) - 2025-04-14: DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. (Senate) - 2025-04-14: Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor. (Senate) - 2025-04-10: ORDERED ENROLLED (Senate) - 2025-04-10: Returned from the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-10: Returned To Senate as Passed. (House) - 2025-04-10: EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED (House) - 2025-04-10: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-04-10: Considered in the Committee of the Whole, and recommended do pass. (House) - 2025-04-10: RULES SUSPENDED (House) - 2025-04-09: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the CALENDAR. (House) - 2025-04-09: RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE (House) - 2025-04-09: Ordered Immediately transmitted to the House. (Senate) - 2025-04-09: EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-08: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate) - 2025-04-03: Re-referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE (Senate) - 2025-04-03: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-04-03: Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-04-03: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 2 (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Re-referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE (Senate) - 2025-03-17: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1 (Senate) - 2025-01-13: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE (Senate) - 2025-01-13: Filed (Senate) ## Bill text - SB36 - Introduced, 2025-01-13: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB36.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=890.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related bills - HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. (enacted) - HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS. (failed) - HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO SET PENALTIES FOR A VIOLATION OF THE PROHIBITION OF SOLICITATION OF INJURED INDIV… (failed) - SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE USE OF ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS; AND TO REGULATE ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES. (failed) - HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO ALLOW A MUNICIPALITY TO PETITION TO SET ASIDE THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO CERTAIN P… (failed) - HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO REQUIRE THAT A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BE SELECTED A… (failed) ## Sources - [SB36 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB36.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=890.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related - [HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1265-2025) - [HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1686-2025) - [HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1237-2025) - [SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE US…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB440-2025) - [HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1695-2025) - [HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HR1012-2025) - [Arkansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas/bills) - [Arkansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB36-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).