1. (a) The Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services of the Department of Human Services shall:

   1. (1) In consultation with the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging, create nomination forms to be distributed to the area agencies on aging, Arkansas senior centers, alumni of the Silver-Haired Legislative Session, the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging, members of the General Assembly, and the general public through the division’s website;
   2. (2) Issue appropriate press release announcements of the Senior Arkansans Hall of Fame nominations and induction ceremony, including the announcements through the inductees' local newspapers; and
   3. (3) Determine and publish deadlines for submission of completed nomination forms to the area agencies on aging.

2. (b) The area agency on aging shall:

   1. (1) Accept nominations of seniors residing in the geographic area served by the area agency on aging;
   2. (2) Form a selection committee to determine no more than three (3) nominees to forward to the division; and
   3. (3) Verify all information contained within the nomination form prior to their selection of candidates and submission to the division.

3. (c) Final selection committee.

   1. (1) In consultation with the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging, the division shall create scoring sheets.
   2. (2) The nomination forms and scoring sheets shall be forwarded to a final selection committee for scoring.
   3. (3) Upon receipt of the final selection committee’s returned score sheet, the division will tabulate scores.
   4. (4) Nominees with the three (3) highest combined total scores will be inducted into the Senior Arkansans Hall of Fame.
   5. (5) In the event of a tie score, nominees within the three (3) highest combined total scores will be inducted into the Senior Arkansans Hall of Fame.

4. (d)

   1. (1) The final selection committee, when possible, will include:

      1. (A) A member of the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor;
      2. (B) A member of the House Committee on Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs;
      3. (C) Executive members of the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging;
      4. (D) President or designee of the Arkansas Gerontological Society; and
      5. (E) The Director of the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services of the Department of Human Services or the director’s designee.
   2. (2) In the event the final selection committee fails to secure at least three (3) of the foregoing persons, the division, in consultation with the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging, will invite appropriate representatives of governmental or community entities within the aging network to be a member of the final selection committee.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: “5-1-13”