Title 20, Public Health and Welfare

(a) (1) The State Board of Health shall meet at least one (1) time every three (3) months.(2) Upon the call of the President of the State Board of Health or a majority of the members of the board, the board shall meet at such other times as may be necessary in the interest of pub…

The office of the State Board of Health shall be located in Little Rock, and the board shall be furnished with all necessary equipment and supplies, including laboratory supplies, books, stationery, blanks, furniture, etc., as are provided other officers of the state and as are n…

The Secretary of the Department of Health may appoint and employ an assistant director who shall be knowledgeable in the field of public health and whose duty it shall be to assist the secretary in the general supervision of the affairs of his or her office and in the enforcement…

The Department of Health may engage suitable persons to render sanitary service, to make or supervise practical and scientific investigations and examinations requiring expert skill, and to prepare plans and to report relative to sanitary service.

(a) (1) Power is conferred on the State Board of Health to make all necessary and reasonable rules of a general nature for:(A) The protection of the public health and safety;(B) The general amelioration of the sanitary and hygienic conditions within the state;(C) The suppression …

(a) (1) The State Board of Health has general supervision and control of all matters pertaining to the health of the citizens of this state.(2) The board shall make a study of the causes and prevention of infectious, contagious, and communicable diseases, and, except as otherwise…

(a) The State of Arkansas does accept the benefits of any acts now passed or hereafter to be passed by the United States Congress to provide for cooperation with the states in the protection of mothers and infants and promotion of a public health program. (b) (1) The State Board …

(a) It is made the duty of all officers and agents who have the control, charge, or custody of any public structure, work, grounds, or erection, or of any plan, description, outlines, drawings, or charts thereof or relating thereto, made, kept, or controlled under any public auth…

(a) (1) At any time, the Governor may require the State Board of Health to examine nuisances or questions affecting the security of life and health in any locality in the state, and in such cases the State Board of Health shall have all the necessary powers to make those examinat…

(a) (1) The State Board of Health shall establish, equip, and maintain a public health laboratory that shall be used for making:(A) Analyses of foods and drugs to enforce pure food and drug laws;(B) Analyses of the environment to investigate cases or suspected cases of human expo…

(a) (1) The State Board of Health shall prepare the necessary methods and forms and prescribe the rules regulating the issue and use of transfer permits, with the proper coupons attached thereto, to be issued by local organized boards of health or health officers, for the transpo…

(a) There is created within the Department of Health a State Hospice Office to be administered in a division of the department to be designated by the Secretary of the Department of Health. (b) (1) The office shall:(A) Coordinate the care of terminally ill persons with all existi…

(a) There shall be an annual conference of county health officers and city health officers of this state, meeting at such time and place as the State Board of Health designates. The President of the State Board of Health or some member of the board shall preside at the conference…

(a) When application is made and upon the payment of the fees provided in this section, the Department of Health may prepare and furnish to the applicant either a suitable metal tag commonly referred to as “dog tag” or an identification bracelet which may be inscribed with, in ad…

(a) No official, agent, or representative of the Department of Health shall have any right under this section to enter any home over the objection of the owner of the home or to take charge of any child over the objection of either or both parents or of the person standing in loc…

(a) It shall be the duty of the State Board of Health to make an annual written report through the Secretary of the Department of Health to the Governor on or before January 1 of each year. (b) The report shall include:(1) A financial statement covering the expenditures of all fu…

The State Board of Health may publish for general distribution such reports and other matter as it may deem useful in promoting the interest of the public health of this state.

(a) All revenue derived from fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited as special revenues into the State Treasury, where they shall be credited to the Public Health Fund. (b) These fees are as follows:(1) All fees prescribed in the Vital Statistics Act, § 20-18-…

All fees collected by the Department of Health for food-related establishment permits, septic tank permits, and milk permits shall be deposited into the State Treasury to the credit of the Public Health Fund and shall be for the use of the Division of Environmental Health Protect…

All salaries and other expenses provided for by this act which are not required to be paid by counties, cities, and incorporated towns shall be paid out of the Public Health Fund.

(a) The Department of Health may make overtime payments to employees engaged in the performance of home health activities. (b) The payments are to be in addition to compensation otherwise due the employees at the same rate currently paid to the employees for regular time, but on …

(a) (1) The State Board of Health may assess a fee for the maintenance of breath-testing instruments by law enforcement agencies for purposes contained in the Omnibus DWI or BWI Act, § 5-65-101 et seq., and § 5-65-201 et seq. (2) The fees collected shall be used for the support o…

(a) (1) The Department of Health may implement a reimbursement system to recover part or all of the costs of delivering services.(2) For the purpose of vaccine and vaccine administration reimbursement, if a private healthcare insurer declines or does not respond to a request to c…

(a) The purpose of this section is to more equitably allocate the costs between the state and responsible parties when unforeseen circumstances arise as a result of accidents and other man-made causes which require assistance from the Department of Health. The authority to recove…

(a) The mayor or county judge of any city or county that is providing facilities for a local unit of the Department of Health shall be consulted before the hiring of or the removal of the administrator of the local unit. (b) Notwithstanding the Freedom of Information Act of 1967,…

(a) The Department of Health shall develop guidelines for the cleanup of former clandestine methamphetamine drug labs. (b) The guidelines shall be made available on the department's website and shall be available to law enforcement officials and the public upon request. (c) The g…

(a) There is created a Child Health Advisory Committee to consist of twenty (20) members. (b) (1) The Secretary of the Department of Health shall appoint:(A) One (1) member to represent the Department of Health;(B) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and…

(a) The Child Health Advisory Committee shall meet at least one (1) time per month and make recommendations to the State Board of Education and the State Board of Health consistent with the intent and purpose of this section and §§ 20-7-133 and 20-7-135. (b) The committee shall d…

(a) After having consulted the Child Health Advisory Committee and the State Board of Health, the State Board of Education shall promulgate appropriate rules to ensure that nutrition and physical activity standards and body mass index for age assessment protocols are implemented …

(a) As used in this section, “water system” means a facility including without limitation a parent system, consecutive system, or other system that holds, treats, and supplies water directly or through a consecutive system or consecutive systems to five thousand (5,000) persons o…

(a) (1) As used in this section, “public recreation area” means an area that is used by members of the public for recreational activities.(2) “Public recreation area” includes a privately owned or publicly owned:(A) Park;(B) Sports field;(C) Auditorium;(D) School playground; or(E…

(a) The Department of Health shall establish, by rule, standards for transporting, processing, and distributing commercial human breast milk on a for-profit or nonprofit basis in this state. (b) The department may:(1) Convene a committee of subject matter experts to assist in the…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Discriminatory action” means an action taken by the State Board of Health to:(A) Alter the tax treatment of, or cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, revoke, or otherwise make unavailable an exemption from taxa…

(a) The General Assembly reserves the right to enact legislation regarding the mandatory use of face masks, face shields, or other face coverings. (b) A state agency or entity, a political subdivision of the state, or a state or local official shall not mandate an individual in t…

(a) As used in this section, “vaccine passport” means documentation that an individual has been vaccinated against coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). (b) The state, a state agency or entity, a political subdivision of the state, or a state or local official shall not require an individ…

(a) As used in this section, “coerce” means:(1) Using physical violence, threats, intimidation, or retaliation with the purpose of causing a reasonable individual of ordinary susceptibilities to acquiesce when the individual otherwise would not;(2) Making conditional a private or…

(a) As used in this section, “over-the-counter medication” means medication that may be legally sold and purchased without a prescription. (b) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, ivermectin suitable for human use may be sold or purchased as an over-the-counter medication in …

This subchapter may be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Health Department Building and Local Grant Act”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Acquire” means to lease, lease-purchase, or purchase any lands, buildings, structures, improvements, or other property, real, personal, or mixed.(B) “Acquire” also includes payment or provision for payment of all expenses incidental thereto…

(a) The Secretary of the Department of Health may construct or acquire such facilities and property as are necessary for the provision of current and future requirements for the Department of Health. (b) Notwithstanding other provisions of this subchapter, the secretary, with the…

(a) There is established on the books of the Treasurer of State, Auditor of State, and Chief Fiscal Officer of the State a fund to be known as the “State Health Department Building and Local Grant Trust Fund”. (b) The fund shall consist of such revenues as may be authorized by la…

(a) (1) The State Board of Health may develop and implement rules to receive, review, and approve applications for grants for new construction, renovation, or expansion of local health unit facilities from counties or cities.(2) The board may adopt such rules as may be necessary …

Participation in the grant programs shall be conditioned on compliance with this subchapter and any rules or regulations of the State Board of Health promulgated under this subchapter.

This subchapter shall be entitled the “State Health Data Clearinghouse Act”.

The General Assembly finds that as a result of rising healthcare costs, the shortage of health professionals and healthcare services in many areas of the state, and the concerns expressed by care providers, consumers, third-party payors, and others involved with planning for the …

(a) With the approval of the State Board of Health, the Secretary of the Department of Health shall compile and disseminate health data collected by the Department of Health. (b) (1) In consultation with advisory groups appointed by the secretary with representation from hospital…