MOLLETTE

From page A4

Arkansas ($9,500) — The Recovery Community Center, operated by Oasis of Northwest Arkansas, will provide comprehensive support services and resources for individuals in recovery in Benton, Boone, Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Pulaski, Sebastian and Washington counties. The center will provide food, educational resources, workshops, technology and wellness activities.

• Restore Hope, Inc.

($200,000) — Restore Hope’s 100 Families Initiative will expand into Mississippi, Independence and Jefferson counties, offering families collaborative case management. The funding will also provide direct client assistance with transportation, food, childcare, housing and education needs.

• University District Development Corporation ($200,000) — The University District Development Corporation will construct six new, affordable single-family homes and 10 duplexes in Little Rock’s University District. Residents will include individuals considered low-income and individuals with certain needs.

• Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc. ($114,454) — The Wolfe Street Foundation’s Navigating Social Determinants of Health Barriers project seeks to help Arkansans in recovery by eliminating transportation and other barriers to resources.

Schools, universities, nonprofit groups and municipal organizations that provide programs addressing behavioral health needs can apply for grants up to $200,000 by submitting a letter of intent July 1-12 at blueandyoufoundationarkansas. org. Minigrants, up to $2,000, are also available by applying on the Foundation’s website. These funds are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year.

About the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas:

The Blue & You Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, serves the state of Arkansas and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In its 20 years of operation, the Blue & You Foundation has awarded more than $50 for health-improvement programs in Arkansas. To achieve the goal of better health for all Arkansans, the Blue & You Foundation seeks to harness the power of partnership. By strategically focusing its grant funding on community-based solutions, the Foundation hopes to nurture community health leadership, foster collaboration, and innovation, and leverage financial, human and community resources to produce a measurable, positive impact. To learn more about the Foundation’s investments, visit blueandyoufoundationarkansas. org.

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Judge halts Arkansas policy that removes option for ender neutral marker on IDs

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A circuit judge has temporarily halted a new rule that ended the ability for gender-neutral markers on driver's licenses and identification cards in Arkansas.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of five people and the ACLU of Arkansas, came after the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) announced on March 12 that it would remove the ability to use an 'X' marker for gender on IDs in lieu of choosing 'male' or female.'

That lawsuit argued the emergency rule change was done 'without any documented justification or compliance' and that there should be a 30-day public notice and comment period. The group also said the change in policy would restrict the ability to allow transgender and nonbinary Arkansans to self-identify.

The ACLU of Arkansas reacted to the ruling on social media, saying it 'reaffirms due process and public input in impactful policies.'

'This is a significant victory for our clients and for the rights and dignity of all Arkansas,' the group said.

John Williams, legal director for the ACLU of Arkansas, said the ruling 'reaffirms the importance of due process' and the need for the public's input on policy changes. 'The DFA’s attempt to bypass these critical steps was a clear overreach, and we are pleased that the court has recognized the harm this policy inflicted on our plaintiffs and others in the community.”

State officials have said the reason for the change is to 'better safeguard the integrity of licenses and IDs issued.'

Before the proposed change, the policy had been in effect since 2010.

Officials with the DFA are set to hold a public comment hearing on making the rule permanent on June 7. After the hearing, written comments on the change can be submitted until June 27. Attorney General Tim Griffin said he looks forward to defending the case as the judge's statement indicates the ruling will be 'limited and only applicable until the issuance of the permanent DFA rule.”