An act TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PROCEDURES OF THE 10 COUNTY QUORUM COURT FOR ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS, the official text

Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

1 State of Arkansas      A Bill
2 95th General Assembly

3 Regular Session, 2025                                          HOUSE BILL 1331

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5 By: Representatives Barnes, K. Ferguson, Holcomb

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8                        For An Act To Be Entitled

9   AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PROCEDURES OF THE

10  COUNTY QUORUM COURT FOR ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS; TO

11  REQUIRE THE COUNTY TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE UNDER THE

12  ANNUAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE FOR THE PRIOR YEAR

13  UNTIL A NEW ANNUAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE IS

14  ADOPTED; TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER

15  PURPOSES.

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18                                      Subtitle

19                       TO REQUIRE A COUNTY TO CONTINUE TO

20                       OPERATE UNDER THE ANNUAL APPROPRIATION

21                       ORDINANCE FOR THE PRIOR YEAR IF A NEW

22                       ANNUAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE IS NOT

23                       ADOPTED; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

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25 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

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27  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 14-14-904(b)(1)(A)(ii), concerning the

28 procedure for appropriations by a quorum court, is amended to add an

29 additional subdivision to read as follows:

30                       (c) If a quorum court does not pass an annual

31 appropriation ordinance as required under subdivision (b)(1)(A)(ii)(a) of

32 this section, expenditures of the county, including without limitation the

33 payment of salaries to employees, shall continue to be paid under the annual

34 appropriation ordinance from the previous year until a new annual

35 appropriation ordinance is adopted.

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                                                                          HB1331

1   SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the

2 General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that when a county quorum court

3 does not pass an annual appropriation ordinance the county cannot provide

4 basic services and the county employees cannot be paid; that this act will

5 allow expenditures to be paid until an annual appropriation ordinance is in

6 place; that the lack of an appropriation ordinance makes it impossible for

7 the county to provide necessary services to the citizens of the county, which

8 threatens the public peace, health, and safety of the residents of the

9 county; and that this act is immediately necessary because failure to pass an

10 annual appropriation ordinance puts county employees in financial distress

11 and at risk of being unable to pay for financial responsibilities. Therefore,

12 an emergency is declared to exist, and this act being immediately necessary

13 for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety shall become

14 effective on:

15           (1) The date of its approval by the Governor;

16           (2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor,

17 the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the

18 bill; or

19           (3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is

20 overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto.

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