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HB 1034

AN ACT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE TREASURER OF STATE APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

2026 Fiscal Session

The act provides the Arkansas Department of Corrections with detailed, flexible biennial appropriations across multiple programs (Inmate Care & Custody, inmate welfare, work releas

Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office.
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Bill Summary · HB 1034

HB1034 (2026F) – Summary for the Office of the Treasurer of State Appropriation (Arkansas)

Overview
- Purpose: This act provides appropriations for the Department of Corrections (DOC) and its Division of Correction for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, covering personal services, operating expenses, and various programmatic funds. It also contains a broad set of special language provisions granting flexible budgeting and transfer authority within DOC's corrections divisions, along with related reporting and oversight requirements.
- Effective date: July 1, 2022.

Key Provisions and Changes
- Regular salaries and shared services (Section 1 & 2)
- Establishes maximum numbers of regular employees for DOC – Shared Services (up to 219 total regular employees listed across multiple classifications with specific salary bands).
- Provides an appropriation for Regular Salaries ($10,194,652) and Personal Services Matching ($3,454,960) for Shared Services, plus other operating lines (Operations, Conference & Travel, Professional Fees, etc.), totaling $121,343,064 for Shared Services for FY2023.
- Includes a Pandemic Related Expenses line ($5,000,000) and a Regional Jail funding line ($8,704,940).

  • Inmate Care & Custody (Section 9)

    • Establishes a separate budget block for the Division of Correction – Inmate Care & Custody, with comprehensive line items:
    • Regular salaries ($173,879,782)
    • Extra help ($100,000)
    • Personal Services Matching ($66,450,957)
    • Overtime ($7,050,000)
    • Maintenance & General Operations (Operations, Travel, Fees, Capital Outlay, Data Processing)
    • Jail Contracts ($1,533,000)
    • Holiday compensation, energy savings, and other related expenses
    • Total funding for Inmate Care & Custody: $310,092,282.

  • Inmate Welfare, Work Release, Prison Industry, Farm Operations, and other DOC programs (Sections 10–13)

    • Inmate Welfare Program: Regular salaries, matching, maintenance/operations, and facility costs totaling $14,222,155.
    • Work Release Program: Operating expenses with capital outlay totaling $8,026,860.
    • Prison Industry Program: Detailed allocations for salaries, matching, operations, and capital outlay totaling $10,273,024.
    • Farm Operations Program: Salaries, matching, operations, and purchases totaling $17,209,872.
    • Non-Tax Revenue Receipts and other funds: Various minor appropriations for maintenance/operations, and construction costs.

  • Other dedicated funds and programs (Sections 14–19)

    • Non-Tax Revenue Receipts: $2,501,200
    • Sex Offender Assessment (ADC): $25,000
    • Fire Station Protection: $25,000
    • Paws in Prison: $150,000
    • Medical Monetary Sanctions: $1,700,000
    • Prison Expansion: Up to $75,000,000 from Development and Enhancement Fund (limit not to exceed)

Special Language and Administrative Flexibility (Sections 20–46)
- Audit and reporting
- Requires annual firearms and ammunition audits (confidential under FOIA).
- Several sections require oversight by Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee for transfers, reallocations, and new facilities.
- Contingent and contingent medical staffing
- Defines contingent positions for medical services (psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, etc.) with capped totals (462 contingent employees across medical and non-patient care classifications).
- Allows reallocation of funds between salaries, matching, and professional/contractual lines to cover medical service needs if contracts lapse.
- Transfers within and between programs
- Grants authority to transfer appropriations within the Inmate Care & Custody and other DOC appropriations to support construction, debt service, overtime, etc., with governor and Legislative Council/JBC oversight.
- New facilities and capital projects
- Authorizes transfers to support new facilities, with prior approvals.
- County Jail and inmate cost reporting
- Requires annual cost reporting and a monthly county jail reimbursement invoice summary posted publicly.
- Holidays, promotions, and other employee benefits
- Special provisions for paying unused holiday hours, with limits and oversight.
- Death benefit
- Establishes a death benefit up to $5,000 for employees killed in the line of duty, subject to Board of Corrections approval.

Who Is Affected
- DOC – Division of Correction staff (regular, extra help, contingent medical staff, and a broad range of classification titles across multiple facilities and programs).
- Counties and county jail systems (County Jail Reimbursement Fund and related invoicing).
- Inmates and inmate-related programs (Inmate Care & Custody, Inmate Welfare, Prison Industry, Farm Operations, Work Release).
- Agency leadership and oversight bodies (Board of Corrections, Arkansas Legislative Council, Joint Budget Committee, Governor for transfer approvals).

Procedural and Timeline Details
- Year: FY2022-2023 appropriation cycle.
- Funding and positions are subject to ongoing oversight and possible reallocations with approval requirements.
- Special language sections impose time-bound (through June 30, 2023) flexibility and reporting duties; many sections explicitly reference oversight by Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee.

Note
- The bill text shown is an engrossed version from 2022; the 2026 action history indicates committee review in 2026 with amendments requested. The core substantive provisions and funding outlines reflect the 2022-2023 appropriation framework but may be amended in the current session.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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