Senate Bill 83 Summary

• Appropriates $70,498,968 total for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2023-2024 across multiple funds including operations, livestock and poultry programs, plant board initiatives, and forestry operations

• Establishes maximum of 602 regular employees (63 in Shared Services, 539 in Operations) plus up to 176 temporary/part-time "Extra Help" employees across the department

• Authorizes specific appropriations for specialized programs including animal disease control ($1.18M), egg grading ($4.53M), agri laboratory testing ($2.44M), plant board pest control ($10.49M), and forestry operations ($19.19M)

• Includes dedicated funding for feral hog eradication ($3M), agricultural fairs ($1.35M), industrial hemp research program ($300K), and various forestry initiatives including rural fire protection loans ($1.2M)

• Provides special transfer authorities allowing the department's leadership to reallocate funds between accounts with prior approval from the Chief Fiscal Officer and Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee to address operational needs in pest eradication, livestock disease control, and wildfire response