# Arkansas SB392: TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING THE CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION OF STATE EMPLOYEES; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. Arkansas SB392, TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING THE CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION OF STATE EMPLOYEES; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Breanne Davis (Republican), John Maddox (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-04-09 (Notification that SB392 is now Act 499); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB392-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas SB392 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING THE CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION OF STATE EMPLOYEES; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. - Status: enacted - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-03-05 - Last action: 2025-04-09, Notification that SB392 is now Act 499 - Sponsors: Breanne Davis (Republican), John Maddox (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (143 yes, 9 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 17 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Student loan help for state employees: benefit, high. Participating Arkansas state agencies can pay employees’ student-loan creditors directly, using existing agency funding. Employees must finish six months of probation and document unpaid loans for a degree related to their job. Each payment is limited to $2,000, with no more than five payments and… - Extra pay for qualified state workers: benefit, medium. State agencies can approve up to 10% extra pay for job-related education or professional certification beyond minimum job requirements. Education must be documented and come from an accredited institution. Certification must come from a recognized organization and remain current, with renewal or co… - Extra state pay for difficult jobs: benefit, medium. State agencies can authorize up to 10% extra pay for documented recruitment or retention problems in a geographic area. Hazard pay requires unavoidable hazards during at least half of regular work time, without other compensation for that exposure. High-risk plans need approval from the shared-serv… - Promotion raises for state employees: benefit, medium. Promoted state employees are eligible for raises of up to 10%, but a raise is not guaranteed. Resulting pay cannot exceed the new grade’s maximum. The personnel office can set policies for promotion raises. Those policies require Legislative Council review, or Joint Budget Committee review while th… - Severance help for laid-off state employees: benefit, medium. Agency directors or cabinet secretaries can authorize one-time severance for regular employees affected by qualifying workforce reductions. Reasons include restructuring, budget cuts, abolished positions or duties, lost agency responsibilities, or lost federal funding, grants, or special funds. Pay… - Updated pay ranges for state employees: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, Arkansas sets updated minimum, midpoint, and maximum pay levels for six state job groups. Across grades, the lowest minimum and highest maximum are $33,280–$136,702 for government services and $41,265–$255,673 for technology. Those endpoints are $47,820–$387,378 for medical… - Easier state hiring for officers’ spouses: benefit, low. Spouses of elected Arkansas constitutional officers can take state-agency jobs without the usual employment approval when starting pay is $50,000 or less. This replaces the old threshold tied to a level in the state pay plan. The exception changes approval requirements; it does not set anyone’s sal… - Higher pay option for cabinet secretaries: benefit, low. The Governor can set a cabinet department secretary’s salary up to 50% above the assigned grade’s maximum. The Legislative Council must approve, or the Joint Budget Committee must approve while the legislature is in session. No secretary is guaranteed a raise. - State personnel office sets shift-pay steps: benefit, low. The Arkansas Office of Personnel Management can set percentage steps for extra pay on different shifts. This authority supports shift pay for eligible state workers but does not guarantee extra pay for any employee. - State workers gain career advancement options: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law assigns listed Arkansas state jobs to job groups, grades, and personnel types. The Office of Personnel Management can approve advancement within a job group when employees meet its eligibility criteria and show satisfactory performance. Advancement cannot exceed that… - Career paths and training for state workers: benefit, low. The state personnel office must establish career paths for job classifications within the same job series. It can also move positions into different job series or families between legislative sessions to correct classifications or meet unexpected needs. Positions keep their realigned classification… - Step-pay option for state safety workers: benefit, low. The state personnel office can create a step-based pay plan for the Law Enforcement and Safety pay table. The plan must state each step’s percentage increase and the requirements for advancement. It needs Legislative Council approval, or Joint Budget Committee approval while the legislature is in s… - Smaller pools for state staffing changes: cost, low. The state’s pool for reclassifying agency positions drops from 1,500 positions to 500. Agencies use this pool when they lack a vacant position with the right classification and grade. The central pool for adding positions also drops from 500 to 250. That pool helps agencies meet required duties whe… - Benefit limits for extra-help state workers: mixed, medium. Employees hired into or transferred to extra-help state jobs cannot receive benefits beyond holiday pay unless the personnel office approves. This restriction now applies generally, not just to former state employees who return to work. New hires must meet the minimum qualifications and requirement… - Special state pay with added controls: mixed, medium. The personnel office can approve special pay up to 40% above grade entry pay, including for retention or permanent extra duties. Higher rates need prior Legislative Council approval, or Joint Budget Committee approval during a legislative session, and cannot exceed the grade maximum. Extra-duty awa… - New job grades for state employees: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law updates approved job titles, grades, employment types, and position counts across state agencies. Employees gain a common job framework, but assigned grades and agency funding laws limit available pay. Examples include 2,253 correction corporal positions at LES03, 72… - State staffing flexibility comes with limits: mixed, low. Agency directors and covered department secretaries must certify that appointees meet their jobs' minimum education and experience requirements. Cabinet departments can request transfers of positions and budget authority within or between their units. The state chief fiscal officer and Legislative… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Breanne Davis (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: John Maddox (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jim Wooten (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-02 | House | House Vote - Wednesday, April 2, 2025 3:51:09 PM | pass | 92 | 1 | 3 | | 2025-04-01 | Senate | Senate Vote - Tuesday, April 1, 2025 2:57:19 PM | pass | 29 | 1 | | | 2025-04-01 | Senate | Senate Vote - Tuesday, April 1, 2025 2:56:06 PM | pass | 22 | 7 | 6 | ## Actions (23) - 2025-04-09: Notification that SB392 is now Act 499 (Senate) - 2025-04-03: DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. (Senate) - 2025-04-03: Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor. (Senate) - 2025-04-02: ORDERED ENROLLED (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Returned from the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Returned to the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-04-02: EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED (House) - 2025-04-02: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-04-01: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the CALENDAR. (House) - 2025-04-01: RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE (House) - 2025-04-01: Ordered immediately transmitted to the House. (Senate) - 2025-04-01: EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Motion to Expunge the Vote by which the Emergency Clause failed of adoption. Motion carried. (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Emergency Clause failed of adoption. (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-03-31: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment. (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Re-referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on calendar. (Senate) - 2025-03-05: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-05: Filed (Senate) ## Bill text - SB392 - Introduced, 2025-03-05: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB392.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=499.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 - [SB392 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB392.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=499.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-SB392-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).