The effort to help the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute gain National Cancer Institute designation cleared its final legislative hurdle on Thursday.
The Arkansas House voted 93-0 to approve Senate Bill 151 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, which will create a trust fund to help UAMS reach its fundraising goal.
[RELATED: Complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature]
The bill already passed in the Senate, and it now heads to Gov. Asa Hutchinson to be signed into law.
The institution, which is soliciting private gifts, hopes to raise $30 million in private funds. The legislation intends for the state to raise between $10 million and $20 million a year to help establish and maintain the nationally recognized center.
Across the U.S., the National Cancer Institute has 70 designated centers, including in Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
-- Hunter Field