Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/6/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1548
4
5 By: Representative S. Meeks
6 By: Senator J. Bryant
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DIVISION OF
10 INFORMATION SYSTEMS; TO ABOLISH THE DATA AND
11 TRANSPARENCY PANEL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
12
13
14 Subtitle
15 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DIVISION
16 OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS; AND TO ABOLISH
17 THE DATA AND TRANSPARENCY PANEL.
18
19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
20
21 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 25-4-126(b)(7), concerning the duties of
22 the Chief Data Officer of the Division of Information Systems, is repealed.
23 (7) Direct and oversee the Data and Transparency Panel.
24
25 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 25-4-127 is repealed.
26 25-4-127. Data and Transparency Panel -- Creation -- Duties.
27 (a) The Data and Transparency Panel is created within the Department
28 of Transformation and Shared Services.
29 (b) The panel shall consist of the following members:
30 (1)(A) Three (3) appointees from the private sector who shall be
31 appointed as follows:
32 (i) One (1) appointee shall be appointed by the
33 Governor;
34 (ii) One (1) appointee shall be appointed by the
35 Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
36 (iii) One (1) appointee shall be appointed by the
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1 President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
2 (B) Each appointee shall serve at the pleasure of his or
3 her appointer.
4 (C) The appointer of an appointee who vacates his or her
5 position on the panel shall fill the vacancy as required under this section;
6 (2) The Attorney General or his or her designee;
7 (3) The secretaries, directors, or their designees, of the
8 following entities:
9 (A) The Department of Public Safety;
10 (B) The Department of Inspector General;
11 (C) The Department of Education;
12 (D) The Department of Energy and Environment;
13 (E) The Department of Corrections;
14 (F) The Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism;
15 (G) The Department of Finance and Administration;
16 (H) The Department of Health;
17 (I) The Department of Agriculture;
18 (J) The Department of Human Services;
19 (K) The Department of Transformation and Shared Services;
20 (L) The Department of Labor and Licensing;
21 (M) The Department of Veteran Affairs;
22 (N) The Department of the Military; and
23 (O) The Department of Commerce;
24 (4)(A) The Chief Data Officer of the Division of Information
25 Systems.
26 (B) The Chief Data Officer of the Division of Information
27 Systems shall be the Chair of the Data and Transparency Panel.
28 (C) The members of the panel shall select a vice chair
29 annually;
30 (5) The Chief Privacy Officer of the Division of Information
31 Systems; and
32 (6) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or his or her
33 designee.
34 (c) The panel shall:
35 (1) Evaluate and identify data to be included in the statewide
36 data warehouse program;
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1 (2) Determine and recommend procedures necessary for the
2 implementation of a statewide data warehouse program;
3 (3) Oversee a statewide data warehouse program implemented in
4 this state;
5 (4) Evaluate and identify data that may be provided to the
6 public in accordance with data standards and specifications developed by the
7 Division of Information Systems;
8 (5) Engage other divisions, boards, and commissions by
9 soliciting input on information sharing opportunities;
10 (6) Provide annual reports to the Joint Committee on Advanced
11 Communications and Information Technology;
12 (7) Develop a unified longitudinal system that links existing
13 siloed agency information for education and workforce outcomes to
14 continuously conduct a business systems assessment to:
15 (A) Help the leaders of this state and service providers
16 develop an improved understanding of individual outcomes resulting from
17 education and workforce pipelines in Arkansas;
18 (B) Identify opportunities for improvement by using real-
19 time information; and
20 (C) Continuously align programs and resources to the
21 evolving economy of this state; and
22 (8)(A) Develop a shared services data hub for statewide data
23 sharing in order to:
24 (i) Drive innovation and facilitate efficiency
25 across state agencies;
26 (ii) Improve the delivery of services; and
27 (iii) Better serve the residents of this state.
28 (B) In implementation of the shared services data hub
29 under subdivision (8)(A) of this section, the Division of Information Systems
30 shall:
31 (i)(a) Establish and maintain a program to collect,
32 analyze, and exchange government information in carrying out the powers and
33 duties of the executive state agency sharing the data.
34 (b) In carrying out the program under
35 subdivision (8)(B)(i)(a) of this section, the Division of Information Systems
36 may obtain government information from each executive state agency;
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1 (ii) Establish and maintain a program to make
2 government information available to executive state agencies, political
3 subdivisions, educational institutions, researchers, nongovernmental
4 organizations, and the general public, subject to the following:
5 (a)(1) A program established and maintained
6 under this section shall include a policy governing access to government
7 information held by the Division of Information Systems under this chapter.
8 (2) Government information may be made
9 available only if doing so does not violate state or federal confidentiality
10 and disclosure laws;
11 (b)(1) The Division of Information Systems is
12 considered to be an agent of the executive state agency sharing government
13 information and is an authorized receiver of government information under the
14 statutory or administrative law that governs the government information
15 unless:
16 (A) The Division of Information
17 Systems or executive state agencies are specifically excluded as an
18 authorized receiver; or
19 (B) An authorized receiver of
20 government information is specifically enumerated under the statutory or
21 administrative law governing the government information without stated
22 exceptions or qualifications.
23 (2) Interagency data sharing under this
24 section does not constitute a disclosure or release under any statutory or
25 administrative law that governs the government information;
26 (c)(1) A program established and maintained
27 under this section shall prescribe a form to be used to memorialize the
28 sharing of data under this section.
29 (2) The form required under subdivision
30 (8)(B)(ii)(c)(1) of this section shall be signed by the administrative head
31 of the executive state agency so long as the form does not require the
32 sharing of state agency information that would be in contradiction of
33 existing state or federal law; and
34 (d)(1) A data sharing form completed and
35 signed under subdivision (8)(B)(ii)(c)(1) of this section constitutes the
36 agreement required by any statutory or administrative law that governs the
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1 data.
2 (2) Additional documentation is not
3 required to share data under this section;
4 (iii) Establish privacy and quality policy for
5 government information that complies with all applicable Arkansas and federal
6 laws, rules, and policies;
7 (iv) According to standards developed by the state
8 security office, establish and maintain a program to ensure the security of
9 government information under this section; and
10 (v) Establish a public portal that will provide
11 Arkansans with easy access to data.
12 (d)(1) The panel shall meet at least quarterly in each calendar year
13 at a time and place determined by the panel.
14 (2) Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the
15 chair.
16 (e) Nine (9) members of the panel shall constitute a quorum to
17 transact the business of the panel.
18
19 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 25-4-128 is repealed.
20 25-4-128. Data and Transparency Panel -- Records -- Confidentiality.
21 (a) All records, reports, and other information obtained by the Data
22 and Transparency Panel shall be confidential unless approved for publication
23 in accordance with data standards and specifications developed by the
24 Division of Information Systems.
25 (b) A person, agency, or entity that furnishes confidential
26 information in good faith under this chapter is immune from criminal or civil
27 liability arising out of the release of the confidential information.
28
29 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code Title 25, Chapter 4, is amended to add an
30 additional section to read as follows:
31 25-4-130. Statewide data integration and exchange.
32 (a) The Division of Information Systems shall:
33 (1) Oversee a statewide data program;
34 (2) Evaluate and identify data that may be provided to the
35 public in accordance with data standards and specifications developed by the
36 Division of Information Systems;
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1 (3) Engage other departments, divisions, boards, and commissions
2 soliciting input on information sharing opportunities;
3 (4) Obtain state information from each cabinet-level department
4 and be considered an agent, authorized representative, and authorized
5 receiver of the cabinet-level department;
6 (5) Maintain and enhance a statewide longitudinal data system
7 that links existing state information to:
8 (A) Facilitate an improved understanding of individual
9 outcomes;
10 (B) Identify opportunities for improvement; and
11 (C) Continuously align programs and resources;
12 (6) Maintain and enhance a statewide shared services data hub
13 for data sharing to link state information;
14 (7) Establish and maintain policies and procedures for access to
15 state information;
16 (8) Establish privacy and quality policies for the protection of
17 state information in compliance with state and federal laws;
18 (9) Establish and maintain policies to ensure the security of
19 state information in accordance with standards developed by the State
20 Cybersecurity Office; and
21 (10) Establish and maintain a public portal that will provide a
22 resident with easy access to data.
23 (b)(1) The Division of Information Systems shall prescribe a
24 standardized process to be used for the sharing of data.
25 (2) Interagency data sharing under this section is not a
26 disclosure or release under any statutory or administrative law that governs
27 the state information.
28 (c) State information may be made available only if doing so does not
29 violate:
30 (1) State confidentiality and disclosure laws as they existed on
31 January 1, 2025; or
32 (2) Federal confidentiality and disclosure laws as they existed
33 on January 1, 2025.
34 (d)(1) Each cabinet-level department shall assign a data steward to
35 serve as the primary contact between the Division of Information Systems and
36 the cabinet-level department.
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1 (2) A data steward under subdivision (d)(1) of this section
2 shall be responsible for, including without limitation:
3 (A) Implementing data governance policies in the cabinet-
4 level department;
5 (B) Cataloging data;
6 (C) Approving data usage; and
7 (D) Coordinating data integration and exchange.
8 (3) A data steward under this subsection (d) may be assigned at
9 a department, division, or program level, depending on the level that is most
10 practical for the cabinet-level department.
11 (e) The Division of Information Systems shall provide an annual
12 written report to the Joint Committee on Advanced Communications and
13 Information Technology.
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7 03-06-2025 09:31:43 LGL091Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.