AR HB1443

Adds adequate healthcare facilities as essential to rural economic development and authorizes rural development authorities to acquire, construct, operate, and improve healthcare facilities as part of development projects

Increases the population threshold for cities and towns excluded from rural development authority "area of operation" from 5,500 to 9,000 residents

Expands the definition of "rural development project" to explicitly include healthcare facilities and clarifies that projects are not limited to enumerated uses

Adds new definition of "healthcare facilities" to include hospitals, emergency medical care facilities, and related real and personal property such as equipment, utilities, and buildings

Changes Arkansas Code § 14-188-118 from permissive ("may") to mandatory ("shall") language requiring rural development authorities to provide security for deposited funds through specified methods

Declares an emergency effective upon gubernatorial approval, stating the Rural Development Authority Act needs updating to address population growth and rural healthcare facility needs