The Arkansas House passed 5 appropriation bills this afternoon. The only bill that included an increase is SB65, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission Appropriation. The bill directs $300,000 to be used for renovations and leases for the commission’s foreign offices.
Also in the Capitol today, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved the state’s request to implement a work requirement for Arkansas Works enrollees.
Arkansas Works enrollees who are 19 to 49 years old will be subject to the requirement. The requirement will be phased in on the 30-49 year-olds first over a four-month period between June and September of 2018. Individuals subject to the work or community engagement requirement must report 80 hours of work activity every month or show that they are exempt. A work activity can include job training, or job searching.
The House will reconvene on Tuesday at 1:30pm. Remember you can watch all House floor proceedings live at www.arkansashouse.org.