SECTION 1. The State Building Services is hereby authorized and directed to construct and equip a State Regulatory Agencies Building to be located on the State Capitol Grounds at a site to be designated by the State Building Services Council, in the manner as authorized in Act 820 of 1977, and in this Act. The General Assembly hereby determines that the construction of such State Regulatory Agencies Building is in the public interest and is necessary to make the services of such Regulatory Agencies more accessible and convenient to the public, and that the implementation of this Act shall proceed without undue delay.
SECTION 2. (a) For the purpose of enabling the Arkansas State Building Services, created by Act 716 of 1975, as amended, to construct a regulatory agencies building as contemplated in Act 820 of 1977, the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State in cooperation with State Building Services, shall conduct a survey of the various occupational, business, and professional licensing boards as enumerated in Title 71 and Title 72 of the Arkansas Statutes, and shall:
(b) Upon completion of such study, if the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State and State Building Services shall determine it to be in the better interest and convenience of service to the public of this State, and for the efficient operation of the respective boards and commissions and their staffs, to be housed in a regulatory agencies building to be located on the State Capitol Grounds, and further determines that with the funds available to the several boards and commissions and their staffs, to be housed in a regulatory agencies building to be located on the State Capitol Grounds, and further determines that with the funds available to the several boards and commissions, the amount of surplus or reserve funds that could be allocated by said boards toward the cost of constructing and equipping said building, together with the proceeds of revenue bonds to be issued by State Building Services, if any, as authorized in said Act 820 of 1977, would be adequate to construct and build said State Regulatory Agencies Building, he shall designate the boards and commissions and their staffs to be housed in the State Regulatory Agencies Building and shall, after receiving the advice of the Arkansas Legislative Council, recommend to the State Building Services the amount of space to be constructed for their respective uses. Upon receipt of the report from the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, the State Building Services shall estimate the cost of constructing and equipping said State Agencies Regulatory Agencies Building, and shall apportion to each board and commission the amount of the cost thereof to be paid by each such board and commission by fund transfers as authorized hereinafter, or the amount of their allocated costs to be paid from the proceeds derived from the sale of revenue bonds, and the amount of annual rental payments that would be required to meet their pro rata portion of the debt service requirements of principal and interest and other costs incurred in connection with said bond issue.
(c) If any occupational, business, or professional licensing board is aggrieved by the proposed action of the State Building Services, they may appeal therefrom within thirty (30) days from the date of receipt of the aforementioned certification from the State Building Services, in writing to the Governor, who shall hold a hearing thereon within thirty (30) days and either approve the action proposed by the State Building Services, reject the same, or modify such action in such manner as the Governor deems reasonable and necessary.
(d) Each occupational and professional licensing board shall transfer or pay to the State Building Services from funds belonging to said board or commission, the amount of monies as certified by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State to the State Building Services as being available from such board or commission, for payment toward the cost of constructing their allocated space in the proposed building. Such transfer shall be made within such time as requested by State Building Services.
The monies received by the State Building Services from the respective occupational, business, and professional licensing boards to be used in total or partial payment of the cost of constructing a State Regulatory Agencies Building to house their respective agencies shall be set aside in a State Regulatory Agencies Building Fund Account to be used together with monies derived from the sale of Revenue Bonds, if any, as authorized by Act 820 of 1977, solely and exclusively for constructing and equipping a State Regulatory Agencies Building in the manner proposed by the State Building Services.
The Arkansas Legislative Council shall be advised monthly by State Building Services as to the progress of constructing this building.
SECTION 3. APPROPRIATION. There is hereby appropriated, to be payable from bond proceeds and fund balances received from regulatory agencies under the provisions of this Act, for constructing, equipping, debt service requirements, and associated costs of providing a State Regulatory Agencies Building, to the State Building Services, the sum of … $4,000,000.00.
SECTION 4. EMERGENCY. It is hereby found and determined by the Seventy-Second General Assembly that many regulatory agencies are located in various places in the State and within the City of Little Rock; that this situation has created confusion and frustration in the minds of the public when they wish to conduct business with any of these agencies; that many of these agencies have part-time staffs and much of their work could be done by a central staff; and that by locating these agencies in a central location both the public convenience and the efficient use of public funds could be better served. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this Act being necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety shall be in full force and effect from and after the date of its passage and approval. APPROVED: April 19, 1979.