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Read. Follow. Verify.Arkansas allocates funding and sets positions for the Department of Education Division of Higher Education for the 2026-2027 fiscal year
Last action · April 29, 2026: Notification that SB58 is now Act 138
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What This Bill Does
Arkansas enacts Senate Bill 58 (Act 138), appropriating funds and setting personnel levels for the Department of Education Division of Higher Education, student scholarships, and workforce programs for the ending June 30, 2027. The measure provides operating budgets for general operations, Northwest Technical Institute, health education grants, and various student assistance programs. The act takes effect on July 1, 2026.
State institutions, scholarship recipients, and workforce development programs receive specific operational funding and grant distributions totaling tens of millions of dollars for the 2026-2027 academic year.
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 Education - Division of Higher Education
Receives operational funding, staffing limits, and budget authority for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
Student scholarship and grant applicants
Eligible to receive financial assistance funded by specific grant and scholarship line items totaling over $71 million.
Northwest Technical Institute
Receives designated appropriations and staff position limits across state, federal, and cash funds.
State-supported institutions of higher education
Subject to transfer limitations and eligible for building maintenance loans and administrative resource reallocations.
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 allocated for student assistance grants and scholarships?
What is the maximum number of regular employees authorized for the Division of Higher Education general operations?
When does this appropriations act become effective?
What funds are designated for medical and health education out-of-state study contracts?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
19 actions- Apr 29, 2026SenateEnrolledNotification that SB58 is now Act 138
- Apr 28, 2026SenateEnrolledDELIVERED TO GOVERNOR.
- Apr 28, 2026SenateReported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- Apr 27, 2026SenateORDERED ENROLLED
- Apr 27, 2026SenateReturned from the House as passed.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseReturned To Senate as Passed.
Show 13 earlier actions
- Apr 27, 2026HouseEMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- Apr 27, 2026HouseFloorRead the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseConsidered in the Committee of the Whole, and recommended do pass.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseRULES SUSPENDED
- Apr 23, 2026HouseIntroducedRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the CALENDAR.
- Apr 23, 2026HouseRECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- Apr 23, 2026SenateOrdered Immediately transmitted to the House.
- Apr 23, 2026SenateEMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- Apr 23, 2026SenateFloorRead the third time and passed.
- Apr 23, 2026SenateRules suspended.
- Apr 23, 2026SenateCommitteeReturned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass
- Apr 8, 2026SenateIntroducedRead first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE
- Apr 6, 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.
Comprehensive Annual Higher Education Funding
The measure aggregates operational budgets, specialized board funding, federal programs, and student financial aid into a single consolidated fiscal package for the 2026-2027 academic year.
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
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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