An act TO AMEND INITIATED ACT 1 OF 2000, ALSO KNOWN 10 AS THE TOBACCO SETTLEMENT PROCEEDS ACT, 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 1723

4

5 By: Representative Pilkington

6 By: Senator J. Scott

7

8                                For An Act To Be Entitled

9               AN ACT TO AMEND INITIATED ACT 1 OF 2000, ALSO KNOWN

10              AS THE TOBACCO SETTLEMENT PROCEEDS ACT; TO DIRECT THE

11              ARKANSAS MINORITY HEALTH COMMISSION TO ESTABLISH AND

12              ADMINISTER A GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH

13              CENTERS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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15

16                               Subtitle

17                       TO AMEND INITIATED ACT 1 OF 2000, ALSO

18                       KNOWN AS THE TOBACCO SETTLEMENT PROCEEDS

19                       ACT; AND TO DIRECT THE ARKANSAS MINORITY

20                       HEALTH COMMISSION TO ESTABLISH AND

21                       ADMINISTER A GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL-

22                       BASED HEALTH CENTERS.

23

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

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26  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 19-12-110(c)(4), as enacted by Initiated

27 Act 1 of 2000, also known as the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act, concerning

28 the creation of the Targeted State Needs Program Account, is amended to read

29 as follows:

30              (4)(A) Minority Health Initiative and a grant program for

31 school-based health centers, administered by the Arkansas Minority Health

32 Commission -- twenty-three per cent (23%).

33                       (B) The grant program for school-based health centers

34 shall receive five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) annually from the

35 percentage under subdivision (c)(4)(A) of this section.

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                                                                            HB1723

1   SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 19-12-114, as enacted by Initiated Act 1 of

2 2000, also known as the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act, concerning the

3 establishment and administration of the Targeted State Needs Program, is

4 amended to add an additional subsection to read as follows:

5   (j)(1) The Arkansas Minority Health Commission shall establish and

6 administer the grant program for school-based health centers to provide

7 funding for school-based health centers exclusively in minority-majority

8 school districts.

9           (2) The distribution of the grant program under subdivision

10 (j)(1) of this section shall mirror the Arkansas School-Based Health Center

11 Grant Program, or a successor grant program, that supports school-based

12 health centers and is administered by the Division of Elementary and

13 Secondary Education of the Department of Education and the Department of

14 Health.

15          (3) The Arkansas Minority Health Commission shall establish

16 rules similar to the rules of the Arkansas School-Based Health Center Grant

17 Program, or a successor grant program.

18          (4) As used in this subsection, "minority-majority school

19 district" means a school district where members of a racial or ethnic

20 minority are the majority of the population in the school district.

21

22  SECTION 3. DO NOT CODIFY. Rules.

23  (a) When adopting the initial rules required under this act, the

24 Arkansas Minority Health Commission shall file the final rules with the

25 Secretary of State for adoption under � 25-15-204(f):

26          (1) On or before January 1, 2026; or

27          (2) If approval under � 10-3-309 has not occurred by January 1,

28 2026, as soon as practicable after approval under � 10-3-309.

29  (b) The commission shall file the proposed rules with the Legislative

30 Council under � 10-3-309(c) sufficiently in advance of January 1, 2026, so

31 that the Legislative Council may consider the rules for approval before

32 January 1, 2026.

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