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HB 1920

Appropriation; Coahoma Community College and MS Delta Community College for repairs and improvements of campus facilities.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Earle Banks and 16 co-sponsors

Establish a two-year pilot transferring up to $7 million to fund senior meal programs (congregate and home-delivered) in Arkansas, with grant matches and reporting, if enacted.

Died In Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 1920

Summary — HB 1920 (Arkansas, 95th General Assembly, 2025)

Status: Died in committee (filed Jan. 16, 2025; withdrawn by author Apr. 8, 2025). Not enacted.

Purpose / Intent

HB 1920 would have established a two‑year pilot program to address food insecurity among Arkansas seniors by transferring up to $7,000,000 from the General Revenue Allotment Reserve Fund into the Aging and Adult Services Fund Account for use exclusively on meal and food services benefiting the elderly (e.g., congregate meals at senior centers and home‑delivered meals). The bill included an emergency clause to make the act effective July 1, 2025, to align with the fiscal year.

Key provisions

  • Transfer and term

    • Transfer up to $7,000,000 (or so much as is available) to the Aging and Adult Services Fund Account after certain statutory distributions.
    • Pilot program limited to fiscal years 2025–2026 and 2026–2027. Afterward, the Legislative Council would review area agency reports and recommend whether to continue the program.

  • Allocation of funds

    • 7% of the transferred amount (not to exceed $490,000) reserved for the "Fight Senior Hunger Community Grant Match Program."
    • Remaining 93% allocated intrastate per the existing area agency on aging funding formula with these restrictions:
    • 50% for raw food costs in accordance with the federal Nutrition Services Incentive Program (45 C.F.R. §1321.87(d)(3) as of Jan 1, 2025).
    • 50% for direct operating and labor costs of preparing and delivering meals.
    • Indirect food preparation and delivery costs capped at 10%.

  • Fight Senior Hunger Community Grant Match Program

    • DHS authorized to award grants to counties, cities, or 501(c)(3) nonprofits that:
    • Submit a written plan for providing meals/food to seniors to the regional Area Agency on Aging for approval; and
    • Provide proof of pledged funds (donations or in‑kind property) covering at least 50% of program costs.
    • State grant may cover up to half the project cost, with any single program's state share capped at $20,000.
    • "Property in kind" is defined narrowly to kitchen/dining operational costs.
    • Each Area Agency on Aging must report annually to designated legislative committees and the Legislative Council on active programs and expenditures.

Fiscal impact and administrative effects

  • Fiscal: Up to $7.0 million would be transferred from General Revenue to the Aging and Adult Services Fund Account for the pilot.
  • Administrative: The Department of Human Services would require staff time for grant review and monitoring; no new agency procedural changes were required by the bill text.
  • Target benefits: Senior Arkansans experiencing food insecurity via senior centers and home‑delivered meal programs.

Who would be affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: elderly residents experiencing food insecurity.
  • Service providers: senior centers, home‑delivered meal programs, counties, cities, and nonprofit organizations that operate or expand meal services.
  • State agencies: Department of Human Services and regional Area Agencies on Aging (grant review, monitoring, and reporting responsibilities).
  • State budget: one‑time transfers up to $7 million during the two fiscal years of the pilot.

Legislative timeline / procedural notes

  • Filed: Jan. 16, 2025.
  • Readings, referrals to committees, and an amendment adding cosponsors were recorded.
  • Committee actions show the bill was referred to appropriations committees and ultimately listed as "Died In Committee" (also noted as withdrawn by the author on Apr. 8, 2025).
  • If enacted, the emergency clause would have made the act effective July 1, 2025, covering fiscal years 2025–2026 and 2026–2027.

Note: A separate, unrelated HB 1920 (Illinois) appears in the source materials and addresses eminent domain; that measure is not related to this Arkansas bill.

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

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