TO AMEND INITIATED ACT 1 OF 2000, ALSO KNOWN AS THE TOBACCO SETTLEMENT PROCEEDS ACT; AND TO DIRECT THE ARKANSAS MINORITY HEALTH COMMISSION TO ESTABLISH AND ADMINISTER A GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTERS.

House Bill 1723 amends the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act to establish a new grant program for school-based health centers. This program, administered by the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, will allocate $500,000 annually from existing tobacco settlement funds. The grants are specifically intended to fund school-based health centers exclusively in "minority-majority school districts," defined as districts where racial or ethnic minorities constitute the majority population. The bill directs the commission to establish rules and distribution methods similar to existing state school-based health center grant programs.