Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

 State of Arkansas
 94th General Assembly
 Fiscal Session, 2024                                                           HR 1012
 4
 By: Representative Wardlaw
 6
                                  HOUSE RESOLUTION
                TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
                THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO AMEND THE
                RULES REGARDING THE DEADLINE FOR INTRODUCTION OF A
                BILL CONCERNING THE STATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOL LIFE AND
                HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM AND OTHER HEALTH BENEFIT
                PLANS OF ENTITIES OF THE STATE; TO AMEND THE RULES
                REQUIRING PRODUCTION OF A FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR
                ANY PROPOSED LEGISLATION IMPOSING A NEW OR INCREASED
                COST OBLIGATION ON THE STATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOL LIFE
                AND HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
18
19
                                             Subtitle
                         TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF
                         REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH
                         GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
24
25
 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
28
        SECTION 1. Subsection 38.(p) of the Rules of the House of
 Representatives of the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly, concerning the
 deadline for introduction of a bill affecting the State and Public School
 Life and Health Insurance Program and other health benefit plans, is amended
 to read as follows:
        38.(p)(1)       A bill affecting the State and Public School Life and Health
 Insurance Program or that imposes a new or increased cost obligation for
 health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an entity of the state
     *JET035*                                                       4/9/2024 9:05:46 AM JET035
                                                                                  HR1012
 on the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program to be
 considered by the General Assembly at a regular session shall be introduced
 in the General Assembly during the first fifteen (15) calendar days of a
 regular session.
                     (2)(A)     A bill affecting the State and Public School Life
 and Health Insurance Program or that imposes a new or increased cost
 obligation for health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an
 entity of the state on the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance
 Program shall not be introduced after the fifteenth day of a regular session
 unless the introduction of the bill is first approved by a three-fourths
 (3/4) vote of the full membership of each house of the General Assembly.
                              (B)   If the General Assembly recesses for longer than
 three (3) consecutive days during the first fifteen (15) calendar days of a
 regular session, the fifteen-day introduction deadline shall be extended for
 a time period equal to the recess.
                     (3)   A bill affecting the State and Public School Life and
 Health Insurance Program or that imposes a new or increased cost obligation
 for health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an entity of the
 state on the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program shall
 not be introduced or considered at a fiscal session or an extraordinary
 session of the General Assembly unless the introduction and consideration of
 the bill is first approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the full membership
 of each house of the General Assembly.
24
      SECTION 2.     Subsection 38.(r) of the Rules of the House of
 Representatives of the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly, concerning fiscal
 impact statements, is amended to read as follows:
      38.(r) “Fiscal impact statement” means a realistic statement of the
 estimated financial cost of implementing or complying with a proposed law
 regarding:
              (1)   Municipalities;
              (2)   Counties;
              (3)   Education, as related to the State of Arkansas and local
 school districts grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12);
              (4)   Corrections, if imposing new or additional costs and
 restrictions on inmate population patterns or affecting programs or services
                                              2               4/9/2024 9:05:46 AM JET035
                                                                                HR1012
 of the Department Division of Correction;
               (5)   Lottery, if amending Arkansas Code, Title 23, Chapter 115 or
 imposing a new or increased cost to the Office of the Arkansas Lottery or a
 lottery;
               (6)   Health benefit plans, if imposing a new or increased cost
 obligation for health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an
 entity of the state The State and Public School Life and Health Insurance
 Program, if imposing a new or increased cost obligation on the program; or
               (7)   New or existing scholarships to be funded with net proceeds
 from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as
 applicable.
12
      SECTION 3.      Subsection 38.(v) of the Rules of the House of
 Representatives of the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly, concerning fiscal
 impact statements for health benefit plans for an entity of the state, is
 amended to read as follows:
      38.(v)(1)      Except for bills imposing a new or increased cost obligation
 for health benefit plans on an entity of the state on the State and Public
 School Life and Health Insurance Program or bills regarding new or existing
 scholarships to be funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the
 Higher Education Grants Fund Account, failure of the sponsor of a bill to
 provide the fiscal impact statement required in this rule shall not prohibit
 the consideration of it in the committee to which referred or on the Floor of
 the House of Representatives, if no objection to it is made at the time such
 action is taken.
                      (2)(A) A bill filed in the House of Representatives that
 will impose a new or increased cost obligation for health benefit plans,
 including pharmacy benefits, on an entity of the state on the State and
 Public School Life and Health Insurance Program shall:
                                 (i)    Have a fiscal impact statement attached to
 the bill prepared and filed with the chair of the committee to which the bill
 is referred; and
                                 (ii)   Not be taken up by the committee to which
 the bill is referred until a fiscal impact statement is provided to the chair
 of the committee.
                           (B)   If a bill is called up for final passage in the
                                            3               4/9/2024 9:05:46 AM JET035
                                                                                     HR1012
 House of Representatives and a fiscal impact statement has not been provided
 by the sponsor of the bill or by the committee to which the bill was
 referred, a member of the House of Representatives may object to the bill’s
 being called up for final passage until a fiscal impact statement is prepared
 and made available on the desk of each member of the House of Representatives
 at least one (1) day before the bill is called up for final passage.
                                (C)   An affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of a
 quorum present and voting shall override the objection.
                                (D)   If an objection is made without override, the
 presiding officer of the House of Representatives shall cause the bill to be
 referred to an actuary for the preparation of a fiscal impact statement,
 which shall be filed with the presiding officer not later than five (5) days
 from the date of the request.
                       (3)(A)     Any bill filed with the House of Representatives
 that creates a new scholarship to be funded with net proceeds from the state
 lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as applicable, or
 affects an existing scholarship that is funded with net proceeds from the
 state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as applicable,
 shall:
                                      (i)    Have a lottery fiscal impact statement
 attached to it that is in the form set forth in Arkansas Code § 6-85-502; and
                                      (ii)   Not be taken up by the House Committee on
 Education and the Senate Committee on Education meeting jointly, until a
 lottery fiscal impact statement is attached.
25
          SECTION 4.   Section 32) of the Addendum to the Rules of the House of
 Representatives of the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly, concerning fiscal
 impact statements, is amended to read as follows:
 32)   (House Rule 38(r))        "Fiscal impact statement" means a realistic
 statement of the estimated financial cost of implementing or complying with a
 proposed law regarding:
          (1)   Municipalities;
          (2)   Counties;
          (3)   Education, as related to the State of Arkansas and local school
 districts grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12);
          (4)   Corrections, if imposing new or additional costs and restrictions
                                                 4               4/9/2024 9:05:46 AM JET035
                                                                                  HR1012
 on inmate population patterns or affecting programs or services of the
 Department Division of Correction;
       (5)    Lottery, if amending Arkansas Code, Title 23, Chapter 115, or
 imposing a new or increased cost to the Office of the Arkansas Lottery or a
 lottery;
       (6)    Health benefit plans, if imposing a new or increased cost
 obligation for health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an
 entity of the state The State and Public School Life and Health Insurance
 Program, if imposing a new or increased cost obligation on the program; or
       (7)    New or existing scholarships to be funded with net proceeds from
 the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as applicable.
12
       SECTION 5.      Section 35) of the Addendum to the Rules of the House of
 Representatives of the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly, concerning fiscal
 impact statements for health benefit plans for an entity of the state, is
 amended to read as follows:
 35)   (House Rule 38(v))     (1)   Except for bills imposing a new or increased
 cost obligation for health benefit plans on an entity of the state on the
 State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program or bills regarding
 new or existing scholarships to be funded with net proceeds from the state
 lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, failure of the sponsor
 of a bill or resolution to provide the fiscal impact statement required in
 this rule shall not prohibit the consideration of it in the committee to
 which referred or on the floor of the House of Representatives, if no
 objection to it is made at the time such action is taken.
       (2) A bill filed in the House of Representatives that will impose a new
 or increased cost obligation for health benefit plans, including pharmacy
 benefits, on an entity of the state on the State and Public School Life and
 Health Insurance Program shall:
                (A)   Have a fiscal impact statement attached to the bill prepared
 and filed with the chair of the committee to which the bill is referred; and
                (B)   Not be taken up by the committee to which the bill is
 referred until a fiscal impact statement is provided to the chair of the
 committee.
       (3)(A)     Any bill filed with the House of Representatives that creates a
 new scholarship to be funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the
                                             5               4/9/2024 9:05:46 AM JET035
                                                                             HR1012
 Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as applicable, or affects an existing
 scholarship that is funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the
 Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as applicable, shall:
                              (i)    Have a lottery fiscal impact statement
 attached to it that is in the form set forth in Arkansas Code § 6-85-502; and
                              (ii)   Not be taken up by the House Committee on
 Education and the Senate Committee on Education meeting jointly, until a
 lottery fiscal impact statement is attached.
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
                                         6               4/9/2024 9:05:46 AM JET035
Statutes affected: 
HR 1012: 6-85-502