1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly
3 Fiscal Session, 2024 SCR 1
4
5 By: Senator Hickey
6 By: Representative Wardlaw
7
8 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
9 TO AMEND THE JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE OF
10 REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH
11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS; TO AMEND
12 PROVISIONS REGARDING THE DEADLINE FOR INTRODUCTION OF
13 BILLS CONCERNING THE STATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOL LIFE AND
14 HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM AND HEALTH BENEFIT PLANS OF
15 ENTITIES OF THE STATE; AND TO REQUIRE A FISCAL IMPACT
16 STATEMENT FOR ANY PROPOSED LEGISLATION IMPOSING A NEW
17 OR INCREASED COST OBLIGATION ON THE STATE AND PUBLIC
18 SCHOOL LIFE AND HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM.
19
20
21 Subtitle
22 TO AMEND THE JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE OF
23 REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE OF THE
24 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
25 STATE OF ARKANSAS.
26
27
28 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
29 STATE OF ARKANSAS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN:
30
31 SECTION 1. Section 14.(D) of the Joint Rules of the House of
32 Representatives and the Senate of the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly,
33 concerning the deadline for the introduction of bills related to the State
34 and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program, is amended to read as
35 follows:
36 (D) State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program
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1 Legislation.
2 (1) As used in this subsection (D):
3 (a) “Entity of the state” means any agency, board, bureau,
4 commission, committee, council, department, division, institution of higher
5 education, office, public school, quasi-public organization, or other
6 political subdivision of the state; and
7 (b) “Health benefit plan” means a policy, contract,
8 certificate, or agreement offered or issued by an entity to provide, deliver,
9 arrange for, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of healthcare services,
10 including pharmacy benefits, to an entity of the state.
11 (2) A bill affecting the State and Public School Life and Health
12 Insurance Program or that imposes a new or increased cost obligation for
13 health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an entity of the state
14 on the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program to be
15 considered by the General Assembly at a regular session shall be introduced
16 in the General Assembly during the first fifteen (15) calendar days of a
17 regular session.
18 (3)(2) A bill as described in subsection (D)(2)(1) shall not be
19 introduced after the fifteenth day of a regular session unless the
20 introduction of the bill is first approved by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of
21 the full membership of each house of the General Assembly.
22 (4)(3) A bill affecting the State and Public School Life and
23 Health Insurance Program or that imposes a new or increased cost obligation
24 for health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an entity of the
25 state on the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program shall
26 not be introduced or considered at a fiscal session or an extraordinary
27 session of the General Assembly unless the introduction and consideration of
28 the bill is first approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the full membership
29 of each house of the General Assembly.
30
31 SECTION 2. The Joint Rules of the House of Representatives and the
32 Senate of the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly are amended to add an additional
33 section to read as follows:
34 Fiscal Impact Statements – State and Public School Life and Health Insurance
35 Program Bills
36 Section 26.(A) For purposes of this section, “fiscal impact statement”
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1 means a realistic written statement of the purpose of a proposed law and the
2 estimated financial cost to the State and Public School Life and Health
3 Insurance Program of implementing or complying with the proposed law.
4 (B)(1) A bill filed in the House of Representatives or the Senate that
5 will impose a new or increased cost obligation on the State and Public School
6 Life and Health Insurance Program shall:
7 (a) Have a fiscal impact statement attached to the bill
8 prepared and filed with the chair of the committee to which the bill is
9 referred; and
10 (b) Not be taken up by the committee to which the bill is
11 referred until a fiscal impact statement is provided to the chair of the
12 committee.
13 (2) The fiscal impact statements required by this section shall
14 be prepared by the actuaries under contract with the Bureau of Legislative
15 Research for this purpose.
16 (C)(1)(a) If a House bill or Senate bill is called up for final
17 passage in the House of Representatives or the Senate and a fiscal impact
18 statement has not been provided by the sponsor of the bill or by the
19 committee to which the bill was referred, a member of the House of
20 Representatives or the Senate may object to the bill’s being called up for
21 final passage until a fiscal impact statement is prepared and made available
22 on the desk of each member of the House of Representatives or the Senate at
23 least one (1) day before the bill is called up for final passage.
24 (b) An affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of a quorum
25 present and voting shall override the objection.
26 (2) If an objection is made without override, the presiding
27 officer of the House of Representatives or the Senate shall cause the bill to
28 be referred to an actuary for the preparation of a fiscal impact statement,
29 which shall be filed with the presiding officer not later than five (5) days
30 from the date of the request.
31 (D) A fiscal impact statement required by this section shall be
32 developed by an actuary within the guidelines adopted by the House Committee
33 on Insurance and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Insurance and Commerce.
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