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SB 42

AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

2026 Fiscal Session

Funds UAMS 2026-27 with broad salaries, large cash funds, and extensive program grants, plus growth/clinical pools for flexible staffing.

Notification that SB42 is now Act 80
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Bill Summary · SB 42

SB 42 (2026F) – University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Appropriation for 2026-2027

Overview
- Purpose: This act appropriates funds for personal services, operating expenses, and various programs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. It consolidates regular salaries, targeted line items, and multiple special fund appropriations across health, education, and community programs.

Key provisions and changes
- Regular salaries – operations (Section 1)
- Establishes maximum annual regular positions and salary rates for 12-month E&G (Educational and General) administrative and academic roles at UAMS.
- Notable salary highlights include:
- Medical Center CEO: $707,619
- Chancellor: $498,931
- Provost: $481,621
- Various high-level and broad pools (e.g., Vice Chancellor, Dean, Department Chairs, IT, and support pools) with detailed salary caps listed.
- Includes a substantial number of positions across multiple pools (Executive, Divisional, Project/Program, IT, Kids First/Headstart, Public Safety, etc.) and a range of administrative/programmatic roles (e.g., librarians, researchers, clinicians, and support staff).

  • Extra Help – operations (Section 2)

    • Authorizes up to 1,565 part-time/temporary employees funded through appropriations, at rates consistent with the Uniform Classification and Compensation Act.

  • Appropriation – operations (Section 3)

    • Regular Salaries: $112,539,654
    • Personal Services Matching: $17,709,805
    • Funded Depreciation: $1,193,320
    • UAMS Regional Campuses: $6,561,549
    • Poison and Drug Information Center: $1,828,587
    • UAMS Northwest Arkansas Medical School: $3,434,664
    • Grants to Children’s Hospital (Indigent Care): $6,136,368
    • Total operations appropriation: $149,403,947

  • Appropriation – cash funds (Section 4)

    • Regular Salaries: $1,100,000,000
    • Extra Help: $25,000,000
    • Overtime: $20,000,000
    • Personal Services Matching: $275,000,000
    • Maintenance & General Operating expenses, travel, professional fees, capital outlay, data processing
    • Capital Improvements: $150,000,000
    • Debt Service: $50,000,000
    • Other categories (e.g., data processing, conferences, etc.) and transfers: total cash funds appropriation: $2,520,850,000

  • Other appropriations and programs (Sections 5–20)

    • Nursing/MED Loans and Scholarships (rural/advanced nursing, community match): $750,000
    • Breast Cancer Research Program: $1,694,216
    • Poison and Drug Information Center – additional support: $299,959
    • Domestic Violence Shelter Programs and Grants: $3,050,000
    • Child Abuse and Neglect Program expenses and grants: $1,000,000
    • Psychiatric Research Institute and Department of Pediatrics: $2,124,057
    • Health Data Initiative: $802,879
    • Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Program: $796,000
    • Colorectal Cancer Screening and Research: $5,000,000
    • Adult Sickle Cell Disease Program: $379,993
    • Certified Nurse Midwifery Program: $500,000
    • Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute: $41,350,000
    • PANS/PANDAS Clinic program: $175,000
    • Arkansas Breast Milk Bank: $1,700,000
    • Maternal Health Workforce financial aid/programs: $2,000,000
    • Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program: $950,780
    • Other listed sections cover statutory or special language, including growth/pool provisions and transfer mechanisms.

  • Special language and pools (Sections 21–30)

    • Growth Pool: Creates a "growth pool" of 600 non-classified positions for 2025-2027 to address unexpected personnel needs, with required approvals by Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee. Any continuation of Growth Pool positions in subsequent years would require new budget requests.
    • Clinical Expansion and Research Pool: Up to 700 positions for 2025-2027 to address emergent clinical/research needs; still subject to oversight and quarterly reporting.
    • CHFLI (Child Health and Family Life Institute) administration details for coordination with Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
    • Parking, transfer provisions, and other compliance/special language to guide fund use and reporting.

  • Emergency clause (Section 34)

    • Declares an emergency making the act effective July 1, 2026, rather than waiting for a later date, to ensure uninterrupted operation.

Affected parties and scope
- primary: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and its related campuses, institutes, and programs
- Beneficiaries include:
- UAMS staff and faculty (via regular salaries and pool allocations)
- Government funding streams for health programs (breast cancer, colorectal cancer, maternal health, sickle cell, pediatric initiatives, domestic violence/child abuse programs)
- External partners such as Arkansas Children’s Hospital and various state health and safety initiatives
- Indirectly affects state health system capabilities, education/training, and rural health workforce development

Timeline and fiscal notes
- Fiscal year: 2026-2027 (funding available July 1, 2026, with emergency clause triggering immediate effect)
- Total fiscal allocations in multiple funds (regular general revenue proxy, cash funds, and designated funds) totaling roughly $149.4 million (operations) plus $2.52 billion in cash funds appropriations, alongside numerous program-specific line items totaling well over a billion in combined funding across sections.
- Contains carry-forward and oversight provisions for unspent funds (Special Language sections), and requires quarterly reporting for growth/pool utilization.

Summary
SB 42 appropriates a comprehensive funding package for UAMS for 2026-2027, covering extensive regular-salary structures, large cash-fund expenditures, and numerous program-specific grants and initiatives. It introduces growth and clinical expansion pools to provide operational flexibility for personnel in response to evolving needs, subject to legislative oversight. The act also assigns substantial funds to health research, maternal/child health, cancer institutes, and social services programs, with emergency clause ensuring timely implementation.

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

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