Bill would fund University of Arkansas at Little Rock operations

The university would be allowed up to 1,988 regular employees and 1,300 part-time or temporary employees. The limits cover University of Arkansas at Little Rock positions and temporary or part-time workers called Extra Help. Extra Help pay could not exceed rates allowed by state classification and compensation rules or this act. Spending would still have to follow state purchasing, accounting, budget, salary, and higher-education spending laws. The staffing limits would apply during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.

The act would make $72.5 million available from the university fund and $162.3 million from cash funds for university services and operations. The money would support regular salaries, benefits, extra help, operating costs, capital projects, debt service, and other listed university expenses. Cash-fund spending would be payable only from cash funds available under state law. All spending would remain subject to state fiscal-control laws and related regulations. The spending authority would cover the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and the act would take effect on July 1, 2026, if enacted.

The act would provide $800,000 for the William H. Bowen School of Law and $2 million for the Nanotechnology Center. The law school money would come from special revenue generated by additional circuit-court filing fees, while the center's money would come from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Fund. The law school amount would be limited to the special court-filing-fee revenue identified in the act. Nanotechnology Center spending would support personal services, operations, research, and developing usable technologies. Both amounts would apply during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.