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: H3/31/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1344
4
5 By: Representative Warren
6 By: Senator J. Dotson
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8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT CONCERNING ADMINISTRATION OF THE ARKANSAS
10 TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM; TO CORRECT THE NAME OF THE
11 ARKANSAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND THE ARKANSAS SCHOOL
12 FOR THE DEAF UNDER TITLE 24 OF THE ARKANSAS CODE; AND
13 FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
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15
16 Subtitle
17 CONCERNING ADMINISTRATION OF THE
18 ARKANSAS TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM; AND
19 TO CORRECT THE NAME OF THE ARKANSAS
20 SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND THE ARKANSAS
21 SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF UNDER TITLE 24 OF
22 THE ARKANSAS CODE.
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24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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26 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 24-4-507(a)(2)-(3), concerning credited
27 service for an employee of the Arkansas School for the Blind or the Arkansas
28 School for the Deaf, is amended to read as follows:
29 (2)(A) For periods of time prior to July 1, 1991, in no case
30 shall less than ten (10) days of service rendered by a member in any calendar
31 month be credited as a month of service, nor shall less than eleven (11)
32 months of service rendered by a member in any fiscal year be credited as a
33 year of service unless the member is was employed by the former Arkansas
34 School for the Blind, or the former Arkansas School for the Deaf, the state
35 colleges and universities, or the public schools of the state, in which case
36 nine (9) months would constitute a year of credited service.
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As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
1 (B) For periods of time prior to July 1, 1991, in no case
2 can less than nine (9) months of service rendered in any fiscal year be
3 credited as a full year of service, nor shall more than one (1) year of
4 service be credited any member for all service rendered by him or her in a
5 fiscal year.
6 (3)(A) Beginning July 1, 1992, and thereafter, service rendered
7 by a member in any calendar month shall be credited as service based upon the
8 member's number of hours of service in that month and in accordance with the
9 following schedule:
10 Eighty (80) or more hours of service ............. One (1) month
11 Sixty (60) hours up to less than eighty
12 (80) hours ............. Three-fourths (�) month
13 Forty (40) hours up to less than sixty
14 (60) hours ............. One-half (�) month
15 Twenty (20) hours up to less than forty
16 (40) hours ............. One-fourth (�) month
17 Less than twenty (20) hours ............. No credit.
18 (B) Beginning July 1, 1991, in no case shall less than
19 eleven (11) months of service rendered by a member in any fiscal year be
20 credited as a full year of service, except that the minimum shall be lowered
21 to nine (9) months for a member whose covered employment is employment with
22 the former Arkansas School for the Blind, or the former Arkansas School for
23 the Deaf, the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind, the state colleges and
24 universities, or the public schools.
25 (C) Any member who retires on or after July 1, 1999, shall
26 receive six (6) months of service credit for each full semester of service
27 rendered in any fiscal year for covered employment with the former Arkansas
28 School for the Blind, or the former Arkansas School for the Deaf, the
29 Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind, the state colleges and universities,
30 or the public schools of the state.
31
32 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 24-7-202(21)(A), concerning the definition
33 of "employment with a school" under the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System,
34 is amended to read as follows:
35 (21) "Employment with a school" means, beginning July 1, 1993:
36 (A) Employment with any of the following institutions or
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As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
1 agencies:
2 (i) Former Arkansas School for the Blind;
3 (ii) Former Arkansas School for the Deaf;
4 (iii) Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind;
5 (iii)(iv) Arkansas Activities Association;
6 (iv)(v) State Board of Education;
7 (v)(vi) Regional education service cooperatives; and
8 (vi)(vii) Arkansas Teacher Retirement System;
9
10 SECTION 3. DO NOT CODIFY. CONTINGENT EFFECTIVENESS.
11 Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall become effective only if HB1810 of
12 the Ninety-Fifth General Assembly is enacted by the General Assembly and
13 becomes an act.
14
15 SECTION 4. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the
16 General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that the merger of the Arkansas
17 School for the Blind and Arkansas School for the Deaf under HB1810 of the
18 Ninety-Fifth General Assembly cannot occur during the middle of a school
19 year; that if HB1810 of the Ninety-Fifth General Assembly did go into effect
20 during the middle of a school year, there would be significant disruptions in
21 funding and confusion among administration, staff, students, and parents of
22 students; and that this act is immediately necessary to ensure that the
23 necessary changes in implementing the merger of the Arkansas School for the
24 Blind and Arkansas School for the Deaf under HB1810 of the Ninety-Fifth
25 General Assembly are made consistent throughout the Arkansas Code and at the
26 same time that HB1810 of the Ninety-Fifth General Assembly goes into effect
27 before the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. Therefore, an emergency is declared to
28 exist, and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the
29 public peace, health, and safety shall become effective on:
30 (1) The date of its approval by the Governor;
31 (2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor,
32 the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the
33 bill; or
34 (3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is
35 overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto.
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As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
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4 03-31-2025 12:28:11 LJH122Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.