HB 1223 - The Back The Blue Act

• Adds Arkansas Code § 14-52-114 to define "defunding municipality" as a first-class city that abolishes its police department without reconstituting it or establishing an interlocal agreement, or reduces the police budget by 25% or more without reallocating funds to public safety and law enforcement programs.

• Makes defunding municipalities ineligible for revenues allocated and distributed under § 19-5-601 (turnback funds).

• Allows defunding municipalities to petition the Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee for a waiver of the turnback fund withholding.

• Exempts from the definition of defunding municipality budget decreases resulting solely from an overall decrease in tax collection or other funding sources within the city.

• Does not apply to non-extension of taxes that existed on January 1, 2021, that funded police departments, or to temporary capital improvement projects for police departments.