HB1097
An Act For The Arkansas Public Service Commission Appropriation For The 2025-2026 Fiscal Year.
AI-Generated Summary
This bill appropriates funds for the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. It details appropriations for personal services and operating expenses across three divisions: Utilities, Tax, and Pipeline Safety. The bill establishes the maximum number of regular employees and authorizes extra help for each division. Specific line items include regular salaries, extra help, personal services matching, overtime, maintenance and general operations (including operating expenses, conferences, travel, professional fees, capital outlay, and data processing), building repairs/maintenance, federal regulatory services, and professional services. It also includes special language regarding the refund of travel expenses and emphasizes compliance with various fiscal control laws. The act declares an emergency, making its provisions effective from July 1, 2025, to ensure continuous operation of the agency's governmental programs.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
The primary beneficiaries of this bill are the employees of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, who will receive salaries and benefits as outlined in the appropriations. The general public and businesses within Arkansas will indirectly benefit from the continued operation of the PSC, which regulates public utilities, collects utility taxes, and oversees pipeline safety. The commission's ability to perform its regulatory functions, including setting rates, ensuring service quality, and enforcing safety standards, is supported by these appropriations, thus serving the interests of utility consumers and the state's infrastructure.
Who Might Suffer?
This bill, being an appropriation for an existing state agency, does not directly negatively impact specific groups or entities in the way that legislation imposing new regulations or taxes might. However, if the appropriations are deemed insufficient by stakeholders in the future or if the regulatory functions of the PSC are perceived as overly burdensome by the entities it regulates (e.g., utility companies), these entities might experience indirect negative consequences. The bill itself focuses on funding operations, not on creating new burdens.