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 A Bill
2 95th General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1802
4
5 By: Representatives Warren, Barnett, K. Brown, Childress, Cozart, Dalby, Eaton, Furman, Gramlich,
6 Henley, McGrew, McGruder, Milligan, Nazarenko, Painter, J. Richardson, Rye, Wing
7 By: Senators J. Petty, K. Hammer, R. Murdock, D. Wallace
8
9 For An Act To Be Entitled
10 AN ACT TO CREATE THE TALENT RECRUITMENT GRANT
11 PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO
12 RELOCATE TO THE STATE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
13
14
15 Subtitle
16 TO CREATE THE TALENT RECRUITMENT GRANT
17 PROGRAM; AND TO PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR
18 INDIVIDUALS TO RELOCATE TO THE STATE.
19
20 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
21
22 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 14, Chapter 173, is amended to add an
23 additional subchapter to read as follows:
24 Subchapter 2 -- Talent Recruitment Grant Program
25
26 14-173-201. Definitions.
27 (1) "Applicant" means an entity applying for a talent
28 recruitment grant under this subchapter;
29 (2) "Individual" means a person who:
30 (A) Resides outside of the state at the time he or she
31 applies for an incentive under this subchapter; and
32 (B) Either:
33 (i) Receives an annual salary of at least fifty-five
34 thousand dollars ($55,000) for a remote work position in which the person
35 will continue to be employed after relocating to the state; or
36 (ii) Has been offered and has accepted an offer of
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1 full-time employment in the state; and
2 (3) "Individual goal" means the total number of individuals an
3 applicant seeks to successfully incentivize to relocate to a municipality in
4 the state through a talent recruitment program.
5
6 14-173-202. Talent Recruitment Grant Program -- Creation and funding.
7 (a) The Talent Recruitment Grant Program is created to award grants
8 for talent recruitment programs to incentivize individuals outside of the
9 state to relocate to municipalities in the state.
10 (b) The Association of Arkansas Development Organizations shall
11 administer the program.
12 (c)(1) The award of grants under this subchapter is contingent on the
13 availability of funds.
14 (2) Funding for the program may be from a combination of
15 federal, state, and private funds, including without limitation:
16 (A) Any funds authorized or provided for by law;
17 (B) Contributions from private entities, including without
18 limitation grants, donations, and investments; and
19 (C) Other available funding methods, including without
20 limitation public grants.
21
22 14-173-203. Talent recruitment grants.
23 (a) An applicant shall submit an application to the Association of
24 Arkansas Development Organizations in the form and manner required by the
25 association.
26 (b) To be eligible for a talent recruitment grant under the Talent
27 Recruitment Grant Program, an applicant shall:
28 (1) Be either a:
29 (A) Municipality in the state; or
30 (B) Nonprofit organization in the state that has a mission
31 that includes one (1) or more of the following:
32 (i) Economic development;
33 (ii) Workforce and talent development; or
34 (iii) Community development;
35 (2) Provide a talent recruitment plan that identifies the:
36 (A) Applicant's proposed incentives and criteria for
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1 awarding incentives under this subchapter;
2 (B) Total estimated costs of the applicant's talent
3 recruitment program, including separate estimates of the costs associated
4 with the design, administration, marketing, and incentive initiatives of the
5 talent recruitment program;
6 (C) Estimated state and local tax impact of the
7 applicant's talent recruitment program;
8 (D) Estimated total economic impact of the applicant's
9 talent recruitment program; and
10 (E) Applicant's individual goal and the estimated cost of
11 the talent recruitment program per individual relocated to the state;
12 (3) Demonstrate the applicant's ability to contribute at least
13 twenty percent (20%) of the total cost for the applicant's talent recruitment
14 program, including local investments and in-kind donations; and
15 (4) If the applicant has previously received a talent
16 recruitment grant under this subchapter, demonstrate that the applicant met
17 its individual goal for each previous grant awarded under this subchapter.
18 (c) After approving an application under this section, the association
19 shall disburse:
20 (1) Fifty percent (50%) of the talent recruitment grant award to
21 the recipient upon approval of the application; and
22 (2)(A) Fifty percent (50%) of the talent recruitment grant award
23 to the recipient when the recipient demonstrates that the recipient has
24 successfully met at least one-half (1/2) of the recipient's individual goal.
25 (B) If a recipient of a talent recruitment grant under
26 this subchapter fails to meet at least one-half (1/2) of the recipient's
27 individual goal, the association shall not disburse the remaining fifty
28 percent (50%) of the talent recruitment grant award to the recipient.
29 (d) Talent recruitment grants awarded under this subchapter shall:
30 (1) Be awarded on an annual basis; and
31 (2) Not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) per
32 applicant in a fiscal year.
33
34 14-173-204. Talent recruitment programs -- Application for incentives.
35 (a) An individual may submit an application to a talent recruitment
36 program established by a recipient of a talent recruitment grant under this
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1 subchapter for incentives for relocating to the state.
2 (b) A recipient of a talent recruitment grant under this subchapter
3 shall approve or deny applications received under this section in accordance
4 with the talent recruitment plan approved by the Association of Arkansas
5 Development Organizations.
6
7 14-173-205. Reporting requirement.
8 A recipient of a talent recruitment grant under this subchapter shall
9 provide quarterly reports to the Association of Arkansas Development
10 Organizations detailing the following data concerning the outcomes of the
11 recipient's talent recruitment program:
12 (1) The total number of applications the talent recruitment
13 grant recipient received from individuals;
14 (2) The total number of applications the talent recruitment
15 grant recipient approved for incentives under � 14-173-204;
16 (3) The cost of the talent recruitment grant recipient's talent
17 recruitment program per individual who was approved for incentives under �
18 14-173-204;
19 (4) The annual income and the occupation of each individual who
20 was approved for incentives under � 14-173-204; and
21 (5) The economic impact of the recipient's talent recruitment
22 program, including without limitation the total state and local tax revenue
23 generated from and consumer spending by individuals who were approved for
24 incentives under � 14-173-204.
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4 03/16/2025 4:40:03 PM JLL285Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.