An act TO REQUIRE ALL CITY COUNCILS AND COUNTY QUORUM 10 COURTS TO POST VIDEO RECORDINGS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, the official text

Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

1 State of Arkansas             As Engrossed: H4/3/25
2 95th General Assembly
                                     A Bill

3 Regular Session, 2025                                           HOUSE BILL 1879

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5 By: Representative Lundstrum

6 By: Senator K. Hammer

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8                               For An Act To Be Entitled

9             AN ACT TO REQUIRE ALL CITY COUNCILS AND COUNTY QUORUM

10            COURTS TO POST VIDEO RECORDINGS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS;

11            TO REQUIRE ALL PUBLIC MEETINGS OF CITY COUNCILS OR

12            COUNTY QUORUM COURTS TO BE RECORDED IN VIDEO FORMAT;

13            AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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15

16                                      Subtitle

17                       TO REQUIRE ALL CITY COUNCILS AND COUNTY

18                       QUORUM COURTS TO POST VIDEO RECORDINGS

19                       OF PUBLIC MEETINGS; AND TO REQUIRE ALL

20                       PUBLIC MEETINGS OF CITY COUNCILS OR

21                       COUNTY QUORUM COURTS TO BE RECORDED IN

22                       VIDEO FORMAT.

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24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

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26  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 25-19-106(d), as amended by Acts 2025, No.

27 179, concerning public meetings under the Freedom of Information Act of 1967,

28 is amended to read as follows:

29  (d)(1) All Except as provided under subdivision (d)(6) of this

30 section, all officially scheduled, special, and called open public meetings

31 shall be recorded in a manner that allows for the capture of sound, including

32 without limitation:

33                       (A) A sound-only recording;

34                       (B) A video recording with sound and picture; or

35                       (C) A digital or analog broadcast capable of being

36 recorded.

    *LGL177*                                                      04-03-2025 11:06:09 LGL177
    As Engrossed: H4/3/25                                                   HB1879

1   (2) A recording of an open public meeting shall be maintained by

2 a public entity for a minimum of one (1) year from the date of the open

3 public meeting.

4   (3) The recording shall be maintained in a format that may be

5 reproduced upon a request under this chapter.

6   (4) Subdivisions (d)(1) and (2) of this section do not apply to:

7                    (A) Executive sessions; or

8                    (B) Volunteer fire departments.

9   (5)(A) All officially scheduled, special, and called open public

10 meetings of a city council or a county quorum court shall be recorded as a

11 video recording.

12                   (B) A video recording under subdivision (d)(5)(A) of this

13 section shall be posted on the website of the city council or county quorum

14 court no later than twenty-four (24) hours after the public meeting.

15                   (C) If a city council or county quorum court does not have

16 a website, the city council or county quorum court shall post the video

17 recording of an open public meeting to a social media account created and

18 maintained by the city council or the county quorum court no later than

19 twenty-four (24) hours after the public meeting.

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21  SECTION 2. DO NOT CODIFY. Compliance.

22  All city councils and county quorum courts shall comply with the

23 provisions of this act on or before one (1) year following the effective date

24 of this act.

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26                         /s/Lundstrum

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