HB1949

House Bill 1949 amends existing Arkansas law regarding the procurement process for political subdivisions. The bill updates the definition of 'professional services' to explicitly include medical, emergency medical, and ambulance services. By categorizing these as professional services, the bill mandates that political subdivisions are exempt from utilizing competitive bidding processes when procuring these specific services. This change aligns these services with other professions like legal, financial advisory, and engineering services, which are already exempt from competitive bidding requirements under state law. The legislation ensures that qualifications and professional expertise remain the primary criteria for hiring these providers rather than cost-based competitive bidding.