AR SB97

Appropriates $4,310,426 for Department of Higher Education general operations, including $2,429,974 for regular salaries for 49 employees and $912,755 for operating expenses for fiscal year 2015-2016.

Appropriates $56,050,000 for student assistance grants and scholarships including Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarships ($25,000,000), Arkansas Governor's Scholars ($15,200,000), and workforce improvement grants ($3,000,000).

Appropriates $54,512,702 for Outcome-Centered Funding Awards distributed to higher education institutions ($40,320,284 to universities and $14,192,418 to colleges).

Appropriates $5,641,670 for health education grants and loans in dentistry, optometry, osteopathy, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, and podiatry fields for Arkansas citizens.

Establishes 300 central pool positions for universities and 250 for colleges to meet unanticipated enrollment growth and training demands, subject to Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee approval.