SB50

Senate Bill 50 is an appropriations bill that provides funding for the Arkansas Department of Human Services – Division of Youth Services (DYS) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. The bill establishes maximum employee counts and salary rates for various positions within the division. It allocates specific appropriations for operational expenses, community-based sanctions, community services, federal grants, and residential services. Additionally, the bill includes special language authorizing the transfer of funds for the Juvenile Ombudsman Program and grants for local juvenile detention facilities. It also amends the Arkansas Code to allow the DYS to manage timber harvesting on its land to fund capital improvements and equipment at the Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center. Finally, the bill includes contingency language allowing the DYS to shift funds between operational and residential services accounts if service delivery models change between private contracting and state staffing.