§ 20-7-127 - Fees for visits to local health units. - Arkansas Statutes

20-7-127. Fees for visits to local health units.

(a) (1) There is imposed a fee of two dollars ($2.00) for each client visit to a local health unit. The State Board of Health may assess any client a single charge of ten dollars ($10.00) to cover all visits by the client for a period of one (1) year, which charge shall be in lieu of the charge of two dollars ($2.00) per visit provided in this subdivision (a)(1).

(2) Fees levied by the board under this section shall be collected by the respective local health units from each client who is financially able to pay the fee.

(b) If revenue from these fees is inadequate to enable local health units to continue the provision of essential services and the expansion and improvement of local health unit facilities in the state, the board, with the review and comment of the Legislative Council, may adopt appropriate rules and regulations to increase the client visit fee imposed in subsection (a) of this section to an amount not to exceed five dollars ($5.00) per client visit or a twenty-five dollar ($25.00) single annual charge and prescribe guidelines for the assessment, collection, and remittance of those fees.

(c) (1) Funds derived from the fees levied under this section shall be collected by the various local health units. The funds shall be deposited into a local bank account and remitted monthly to the Division of Health of the Department of Health and Human Services.

(2) (A) The division shall deposit all the funds received from local health units into the State Treasury, where they shall be credited to the State Health Department Building and Local Grant Trust Fund.

(B) Any funds derived from the collection of client visit fees in excess of six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) in any fiscal year shall be transferred to the Public Health Fund by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State upon the request of the Director of the Division of Health of the Department of Health and Human Services.

(3) Subject to such rules and regulations as may be implemented by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, the disbursing officers for the division may transfer all remaining unexpended funds, as certified by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, to be carried forward and made available for expenditure for the same purposes for any following fiscal year.