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Read. Follow. Verify.Arkansas appropriates $148.8 million for the Department of Human Services Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services for fiscal year 2027
Last action · May 1, 2026: Notification that SB21 is now Act 149
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What This Bill Does
Arkansas enacts Senate Bill 21 as Act 149, appropriating $148,782,173 for state operations, personal services, and operating expenses of the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services for the ending June 30, 2027, alongside an additional $56,156,659 for aging and adult services operations. The measure authorizes up to 1,181 regular employees and 347 employees, and takes effect on July 1, 2026.
The measure sets state spending caps and staffing levels for aging, mental health, and substance abuse programs across Arkansas for 2027. It funds nutrition programs, crisis intervention services, senior citizen centers, and veterans' mental health grants, while restricting fund transfers and prohibiting the closure of the Arkansas Health Center without legislative approval.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Department of Human Services - Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services
Receives appropriations totaling over $204 million across multiple funds, staffing authorizations, and operational mandates for fiscal year 2027.
Arkansas Health Center
Protected from facility closure, client intake restrictions, and funding reductions below 2003 levels without legislative committee approval.
Faith-based substance abuse treatment programs
Exempted from state licensure requirements for alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much total funding is appropriated for state operations in this act?
What protections are provided for the Arkansas Health Center?
Are faith-based substance abuse programs exempt from licensing?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
23 actions- May 1, 2026SenateEnrolledNotification that SB21 is now Act 149
- Apr 29, 2026SenateEnrolledDELIVERED TO GOVERNOR.
- Apr 29, 2026SenateReported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- Apr 29, 2026SenateORDERED ENROLLED
- Apr 29, 2026SenateReturned from the House as passed.
- Apr 29, 2026HouseReturned to the Senate as passed.
Show 17 earlier actions
- Apr 29, 2026HouseEMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- Apr 29, 2026HouseFloorRead the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
- Apr 28, 2026HouseIntroducedRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the CALENDAR.
- Apr 28, 2026HouseRECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- Apr 28, 2026SenateOrdered Immediately transmitted to the House.
- Apr 28, 2026SenateEMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- Apr 28, 2026SenateFloorRead the third time and passed.
- Apr 27, 2026SenateREPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- Apr 27, 2026SenateFloorAmendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- Apr 27, 2026SenatePlaced on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- Apr 23, 2026SenateCommitteeReturned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 2
- Apr 21, 2026SenateCommitteeRe-referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE
- Apr 21, 2026SenateREPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- Apr 21, 2026SenateFloorAmendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- Apr 21, 2026SenateWithdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1
- Apr 8, 2026SenateIntroducedRead first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE
- Apr 1, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Licensure Exemption Expansion
The act explicitly expands alcohol and drug abuse treatment licensure exemptions to include faith-based treatment and recovery programs.
Connected Entities
Sources
arkleg.state.ar.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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