Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H4/2/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1077
4
5 By: Representatives Hudson, Painter, Ennett, Richmond, Nazarenko, Tosh
6 By: Senator C. Tucker
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8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT CONCERNING THE INCARCERATION OF A VETERAN OF
10 THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES; TO PROVIDE FOR
11 NOTIFICATION TO THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
12 AFFAIRS OF THE INCARCERATION OF A VETERAN; AND FOR
13 OTHER PURPOSES.
14
15
16 Subtitle
17 CONCERNING THE INCARCERATION OF A
18 VETERAN OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED
19 FORCES; AND TO PROVIDE FOR NOTIFICATION
20 TO THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
21 AFFAIRS OF THE INCARCERATION OF A
22 VETERAN.
23
24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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26 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 12, Chapter 29, Subchapter 1 is amended
27 to add an additional section to read as follows:
28 12-29-121. Required survey and notification for incarceration of
29 veteran.
30 (a)(1) Within fourteen (14) days of the initial incarceration of a
31 person, the administrator of the correctional facility with custody of the
32 person, the designee of the administrator of the correctional facility with
33 custody of the person, or the county veteran service officer of the county in
34 which the person is in custody shall verify the veteran status of the person
35 by using data made available from the Veterans Reentry Search Service
36 operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or a similar
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As Engrossed: H4/2/25 HB1077
1 service.
2 (2) If the administrator of the correctional facility with
3 custody of the person designates the county veteran service officer to verify
4 the veteran status of the person under subdivision (a)(1) of this section,
5 the administrator shall provide the information necessary for the county
6 veteran service officer to conduct the verification.
7 (b) The administrator of a correctional facility with custody of a
8 person identified as a veteran, the designee of the administrator of the
9 correctional facility with custody of the person identified as a veteran, or
10 the county veteran service officer of the county in which the person
11 identified as a veteran is in custody shall by mail, email, or fax send
12 written notice of the person's incarceration to the Department of Veterans
13 Affairs within forty-five (45) days of the person's initial incarceration if:
14 (1) The person is still in custody; and
15 (2) The person's sentence of incarceration is six (6) months or
16 more or the administrator of the correctional facility or his or her designee
17 reasonably believes that the person will remain in custody for six (6) months
18 or more.
19 (c) Upon the release from custody of a person identified as a veteran
20 who has been incarcerated for at least six (6) months, the administrator of
21 the correctional facility from which the person was released, the designee of
22 the administrator of the correctional facility from which the person was
23 released, or the county veteran service officer of the county in which the
24 person was in custody shall by mail, email, or fax send written notice of the
25 person's release from custody to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
26 (d) The administrator of a correctional facility shall provide
27 reasonable access to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the
28 Department of Veterans Affairs to assist an inmate who is a veteran in
29 applying for:
30 (1) Federal or state benefits, compensation, or treatment for
31 which the inmate may be eligible; or
32 (2) Treatment through a veterans treatment specialty court
33 program under � 16-101-101 et seq. or another specialty court program
34 authorized by the Supreme Court under � 16-10-139.
35 (e) The administrator of a correctional facility shall make available
36 upon request the results of his or her verification under subdivision (a)(1)
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As Engrossed: H4/2/25 HB1077
1 of this section to a prosecuting attorney, a managing public defender, a
2 coordinator of a specialty court program authorized by the Supreme Court
3 under � 16-10-139, or the Administrative Office of the Courts.
4
5 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code Title 12, Chapter 41, Subchapter 1 is amended
6 to add an additional section to read as follows:
7 12-41-111. Required survey and notification for incarceration of
8 veteran.
9 (a)(1) Within fourteen (14) days of the initial incarceration of a
10 person, the administrator of the local correctional facility with custody of
11 the person, the designee of the administrator of the local correctional
12 facility with custody of the person, or the county veteran service officer of
13 the county in which the person is in custody shall verify the veteran status
14 of the person by using data made available from the Veterans Reentry Search
15 Service operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or a
16 similar service.
17 (2) If the administrator of the local correctional facility with
18 custody of the person designates the county veteran service officer to verify
19 the veteran status of the person under subdivision (a)(1) of this section,
20 the administrator shall provide the information necessary for the county
21 veteran service officer to conduct the verification.
22 (b) The administrator of a local correctional facility with custody of
23 a person identified as a veteran, the designee of the administrator of the
24 local correctional facility with custody of the person identified as a
25 veteran, or the county veteran service officer of the county in which the
26 person identified as a veteran is in custody shall by mail, email, or fax
27 send written notice of the person's incarceration to the Department of
28 Veterans Affairs within forty-five (45) days of the person's initial
29 incarceration if:
30 (1) The person is still in custody; and
31 (2) The person's sentence of incarceration is six (6) months or
32 more or the administrator of the local correctional facility or his or her
33 designee reasonably believes that the person will remain in custody for six
34 (6) months or more.
35 (c) Upon the release from custody of a person identified as a veteran
36 who has been incarcerated for at least six (6) months, the administrator of
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As Engrossed: H4/2/25 HB1077
1 the local correctional facility from which the person was released, the
2 designee of the administrator of the local correctional facility from which
3 the person was released, or the county veteran service officer of the county
4 in which the person was in custody shall by mail, email, or fax send written
5 notice of the person's release from custody to the Department of Veterans
6 Affairs.
7 (d) The administrator of a local correctional facility shall provide
8 reasonable access to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the
9 Department of Veterans Affairs to assist an inmate who is a veteran in
10 applying for:
11 (1) Federal or state benefits, compensation, or treatment for
12 which the inmate may be eligible; or
13 (2) Treatment through a veterans treatment specialty court
14 program under � 16-101-101 et seq. or other specialty court program
15 authorized by the Supreme Court under � 16-10-139.
16 (e) The administrator of a local correctional facility shall make
17 available upon request the results of his or her verification under
18 subdivision (a)(1) of this section to a prosecuting attorney, a managing
19 public defender, a coordinator of a specialty court program authorized by the
20 Supreme Court under � 16-10-139, or the Administrative Office of the Courts.
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22 /s/Hudson
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4 04-02-2025 14:22:41 CEB041Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.