Sign Up
SB 20 Arkansas Senate · 2026 Fiscal Session

AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES - DIVISION OF MEDICAL SERVICES APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

Senate Bill 20, now Act 132, provides funding and staffing levels for the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Medical Services for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The bill authorizes a maximum of 91 regular employees and up to 10 temporary workers to support operations, including oversight of health programs, claims review, and nursing care. It appropriates approximately $12.8 million for salaries and operational expenses, while allocating over $10.4 billion specifically for grants related to hospital services, prescription drugs, and various nursing home care programs. Additionally, the act sets aside $4.5 million to cover costs associated with closing long-term care facilities and relocating residents.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly appropriates $12.8M for salaries and operations, directly funding essential public health services.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill appropriates $12.8M for staffing and operations of medical services, directly funding and strengthening healthcare administration.95% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Apr 1, 2026 Signed Apr 29, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Act 132 → SB 20 · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill text was renumbered and reformatted from 'Act 132' to 'SB 20' for the 2026 Fiscal Session. Substantive content was added, including provisions for hiring temporary employees and a detailed budget table for the Department of Human Services.
Scope change
The bill now explicitly includes provisions for temporary or part-time employees and defines specific funding allocations for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, whereas the previous version lacked these specific line items.
FISCAL

Added specific appropriation amounts totaling $12,767,797 for operations, including salaries, overtime, and maintenance expenses for the Division of Medical Services.

Added a new grant appropriation section allocating $167,661,480 for ARKIDS B Program and $8,336,005,717 for Hospital and Medical Services.

REQUIREMENT

Added authority to hire up to ten temporary or part-time employees at rates consistent with the Uniform Classification and Compensation Act.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title and session identifier from 'Act 132 of the Fiscal Session' to 'SB 20' for the 95th General Assembly, Fiscal Session 2026.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
19
Key actions
9
Committee
2
Apr 29, 2026
Signed into law
Notification that SB20 is now Act 132
upper
Apr 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Returned from the House as passed.
upper
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned To Senate as Passed.
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Considered in the Committee of the Whole, and recommended do pass.
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
upper
Apr 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read the third time and passed.
upper
Apr 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass
upper
Apr 1, 2026
Introduced
Filed
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.