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 A Bill
2 95th General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1896
4
5 By: Representative B. McKenzie
6 By: Senator J. Dismang
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO CREATE THE JUNK FEE ELIMINATING ACT OF
10 2025; ABOLISH THE INFORMATION NETWORK OF ARKANSAS; TO
11 TRANSFER ANY REMAINING DUTIES OF THE INFORMATION
12 NETWORK OF ARKANSAS TO THE DIVISION OF INFORMATION
13 SYSTEMS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
14
15
16 Subtitle
17 TO CREATE THE JUNK FEE ELIMINATING ACT
18 OF 2025; TO ABOLISH THE INFORMATION
19 NETWORK OF ARKANSAS; AND TO TRANSFER ANY
20 REMAINING DUTIES OF THE INFORMATION
21 NETWORK OF ARKANSAS TO THE DIVISION OF
22 INFORMATION SYSTEMS.
23
24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
25
26 SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Title.
27 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Junk Fee Eliminating
28 Act of 2025".
29
30 SECTION 2. DO NOT CODIFY. Abolition of Information Network of
31 Arkansas.
32 (a) The Information Network of Arkansas is abolished, and its
33 authority, duties, function, records, contracts, personnel, property, and
34 unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other funds,
35 including the functions of budgeting or purchasing are transferred to the
36 Division of Information Systems.
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1 (b) The Information Network of Arkansas's statutory powers, duties,
2 and functions, including the functions of budgeting or purchasing, records,
3 contracts, personnel, property, and unexpended balances of appropriations,
4 allocations, and other funds are transferred to the Division of Information
5 Systems.
6 (c)(1) The abolishment of the Information Network of Arkansas does not
7 affect the orders, rules, directives, registration, licensing, or standards
8 made or promulgated by the Information Network of Arkansas before the
9 effective date of this act.
10 (2) The orders, rules, directives, registration, licensing, or
11 standards of the Information Network of Arkansas shall continue to be in
12 effect until they are amended or repealed under authority given by law.
13
14 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 12-12-1507 is amended to read as follows:
15 12-12-1507. Administration.
16 (a)(1) Release of criminal history information under this subchapter
17 shall be made only by the Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas
18 State Police and the Arkansas Crime Information Center as authorized by law.
19 (2) The Division of Arkansas State Police and the center may
20 adopt rules consistent with the provisions and intent of this subchapter.
21 (b) The division Division of Arkansas State Police and the center may
22 contract with the Information Network of Arkansas under the Information
23 Network of Arkansas Act, � 25-27-101 et seq., Division of Information Systems
24 or any other qualified third-party vendor in the establishment of the gateway
25 or means of electronically processing transactions under this subchapter.
26 (c)(1) The division Division of Arkansas State Police shall not
27 process a request for a Federal Bureau of Investigation background check
28 unless a corresponding state background check through the Identification
29 Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police has also been properly
30 requested pursuant to this subchapter.
31 (2) The requirements of subdivision (c)(1) of this section may be
32 waived upon written authorization of the Director of the Division of Arkansas
33 State Police.
34 (d) The Division of Arkansas State Police automated fingerprint
35 identification system may access and use the National Fingerprint File and
36 Interstate Identification Index as provided by the Federal Bureau of
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1 Investigation when the Arkansas Code authorizes a fingerprint-based Federal
2 Bureau of Investigation check for a noncriminal justice purpose and a
3 positive identification based on fingerprints is made.
4 (e) A background check request for a noncriminal justice purpose that
5 must be completed under state or federal law through the division Division of
6 Arkansas State Police shall be submitted to the division Division of Arkansas
7 State Police by electronic means through the Online Criminal Background Check
8 System.
9
10 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 16-92-118(a)-(d) are amended to read as
11 follows:
12 (a)(1) Notwithstanding � 16-13-709, the quorum court of each county of
13 this state may delegate the responsibility for the electronic collection of
14 fines assessed in a circuit court of this state within that county to the
15 Administrative Office of the Courts or the Information Network of Arkansas.
16 (2) Fines collected in each circuit court by the Administrative
17 Office of the Courts or the Information Network of Arkansas shall be remitted
18 by the fifth working day of the following month to the county official,
19 agency, or department designated under � 16-13-709 as primarily responsible
20 for the collection of fines assessed in that circuit court to be disbursed to
21 the appropriate county fund, state entity, or state agency as provided by
22 law.
23 (b)(1) Notwithstanding � 16-13-709, the governing body or, if
24 applicable and by mutual agreement, each governing body of a political
25 subdivision that contributes to the expenses of a district court or the
26 governing body of the city in which a city court is located may designate the
27 responsibility for the electronic collection of fines assessed in that
28 district court or that city court to the Administrative Office of the Courts
29 or the Information Network of Arkansas.
30 (2) Fines collected in each district court or each department of
31 district court by the Administrative Office of the Courts or the Information
32 Network of Arkansas shall be remitted by the fifth working day of the
33 following month to the county or city official, agency, or department
34 designated under � 16-13-709 as primarily responsible for the collection of
35 fines assessed in that district court to be disbursed under � 16-17-707.
36 (c) Fines collected in each city court by the Administrative Office of
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1 the Courts or the Information Network of Arkansas shall be disbursed by the
2 fifth working day of the following month to the city official, agency, or
3 department designated under � 16-13-709 as primarily responsible for the
4 collection of fines assessed in that city court to be disbursed to the
5 general fund or other city fund, state agency, or state entity as provided by
6 law.
7 (d)(1) The Administrative Office of the Courts or the Information
8 Network of Arkansas shall be allowed to charge a transaction fee for any
9 electronic payment of a court-ordered fine by an approved credit card or
10 debit card.
11 (2) The fee provided for in subdivision (d)(1) of this section
12 collected by the Administrative Office of the Courts shall be deposited by
13 the fifth day of each month into the Judicial Fine Collection Enhancement
14 Fund established by � 16-13-712.
15
16 SECTION 5. Arkansas Code � 19-5-1074 is repealed.
17 19-5-1074. Information Network of Arkansas Fund.
18 All moneys received by the Information Network of Arkansas from gifts,
19 donations, grants, or any other sources available by law shall be deposited
20 into the State Treasury and credited to the Information Network of Arkansas
21 Fund, which is created on the books of the Treasurer of State, the Auditor of
22 State, and the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State until expended or otherwise
23 exhausted pursuant to the Information Network of Arkansas Act, � 25-27-101 et
24 seq.
25
26 SECTION 6. Arkansas Code � 25-27-101 is repealed.
27 25-27-101. Title.
28 This chapter may be cited as and shall be known as the "Information
29 Network of Arkansas Act".
30
31 SECTION 7. Arkansas Code � 25-27-102 is amended to read as follows:
32 25-27-102. Definitions
33 As used in this chapter:
34 (1) "Agency" means any agency, department, office, board,
35 commission, public instrumentality, political subdivision, or any of the
36 foregoing entities acting on behalf of the State of Arkansas which store,
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1 gather, or generate public information;
2 (2) "Gateway system" means any centralized electronic
3 information system by which public information shall be disseminated or
4 collected via the internet, dial-in modem, continuous link, or other
5 electronic medium; and
6 (3) "I.N.A." means the Information Network of Arkansas, or, if
7 the Information Network of Arkansas shall be abolished, the board, body, or
8 commission succeeding to the principal functions thereof or to whom the
9 powers given by this chapter to the Information Network of Arkansas shall be
10 given by law;
11 (4) "Network manager" means the entity or person designated by
12 contractual obligation to establish, develop, operate, maintain, and expand
13 the gateway system on behalf of the Information Network of Arkansas;
14 (5)(3) "Public information" means any information stored,
15 gathered, or generated in electronic or magnetic form by an agency, its
16 agencies, or instrumentalities, which is included within the information
17 deemed to be public pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act of 1967, � 25-
18 19-101 et seq., and other provisions of the Arkansas Code providing for
19 release of information to the public at large to specified groups or
20 recipients; and
21 (6) "User association" means an association:
22 (A) Whose membership is identifiable by regular payment of
23 association dues and regularly maintained membership lists;
24 (B) Which is registered with the Secretary of State as an
25 Arkansas corporation;
26 (C) Which exists for the purpose of advancing the common
27 occupation or profession of its membership; and
28 (D) Which, after the appointment of the initial Board of
29 the Information Network of Arkansas, regularly promotes and encourages the
30 subscription of its members to the gateway system developed by the
31 Information Network of Arkansas.
32
33 SECTION 8. Arkansas Code � 25-27-103 is repealed.
34 25-27-103. Board.
35 (a) There is created the Information Network of Arkansas, a public
36 instrumentality carrying out an essential government function, which shall be
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1 governed by a Board of the Information Network of Arkansas consisting of
2 twelve (12) voting members, as follows:
3 (1) The Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission
4 or his or her designee;
5 (2) The Secretary of State, or the Secretary of State's
6 designee;
7 (3) The Secretary of the Department of Finance and
8 Administration, or his or her designee;
9 (4) Two (2) members, or their designees, who are chief executive
10 officers of agencies of the executive branch other than the Department of
11 Finance and Administration and the Division of Information Systems, shall be
12 appointed by the Governor;
13 (5)(A)(i)(a) Four (4) members from user associations initially
14 selected by the Governor shall be appointed by the Governor after consulting
15 each user association.
16 (b) Members appointed by the Governor under
17 subdivision (a)(5)(A)(i)(a) of this section shall be subject to confirmation
18 by the Senate.
19 (ii) No two (2) members appointed pursuant to this
20 subdivision (a)(5) shall be members of the same user association.
21 (B) Such members shall serve staggered three-year terms;
22 (6)(A) One (1) member who is a public library director appointed
23 by the Governor after consulting the President of the Arkansas Library
24 Association and subject to confirmation by the Senate.
25 (B) The member shall serve a three-year term;
26 (7)(A) One (1) member appointed by the Governor after consulting
27 the Arkansas Bar Association and subject to confirmation by the Senate.
28 (B) The member shall serve a three-year term; and
29 (8) The Director of the Division of Information Systems, or the
30 Director of the Division of Information Systems' designee.
31 (b)(1) The board shall annually elect one (1) member from the board as
32 chair of the board.
33 (2) The board may also elect a vice chair and a secretary.
34 (c)(1) Six (6) members of the board shall constitute a quorum, and the
35 affirmative vote of six (6) members shall be necessary for any action taken
36 by the board.
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1 (2) No vacancy in the membership of the board shall impair the
2 right of a quorum to exercise all rights and perform all the duties of the
3 board.
4 (d) The board shall meet at least semiannually.
5 (e) Members of the board shall serve without compensation but shall be
6 eligible to receive reimbursement for mileage and reimbursement for expenses
7 in accordance with � 25-16-902.
8
9 SECTION 9. Arkansas Code � 25-27-104 is amended to read as follows:
10 25-27-104. Duties.
11 (a) The Information Network of Arkansas Division of Information
12 Systems shall have the following duties:
13 (1) To develop and implement an electronic gateway system to
14 provide electronic access to members of the public to public information and
15 to develop, implement, and promote the use of electronic commerce and digital
16 signature applications within the state in cooperation with the Division of
17 Information Systems;
18 (2) To provide appropriate oversight of the network manager;
19 (3)(A) To establish charges for the services provided by the
20 division Information Network of Arkansas.
21 (B) The Information Network of Arkansas shall on a
22 quarterly basis submit a report of any change in charges for services to the:
23 (i) Legislative Council; and
24 (ii) Joint Committee on Advanced Communications and
25 Information Technology; and
26 (4) To explore ways of expanding the amount and kind of public
27 information provided, increasing the utility and form of the public
28 information provided, and implement such changes as required to be consistent
29 with the provisions of this chapter;
30 (5)(3) To explore ways of improving citizen and business access
31 to public information and, where appropriate, implementing such changes;
32 (6) To explore ways of expanding a gateway system and its
33 services to citizens and businesses by providing add-on services to the
34 public, such as access to other for-profit information databases, electronic
35 mail, and calendaring;
36 (7) To serve in an advisory capacity to the Department of
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1 Finance and Administration, the division, and other state agencies regarding
2 the dissemination to and collection of state data for the citizens and
3 businesses of Arkansas;
4 (8) To seek advice from the general public, its subscribers,
5 professional associations, academic groups, and institutions and individuals
6 with knowledge or interest in computer networking, electronic mail, public
7 information access, gateway services, add-on services, and electronic filing
8 of information; and
9 (9) To accept gifts, donations, and grants for the support of a
10 gateway system in Arkansas.
11 (b)(1) All state agencies shall participate with the Information
12 Network of Arkansas division in providing assistance as may be requested for
13 the achievement of its purpose of implementing this section.
14 (2) Services and information to be provided by any agency shall
15 be specified pursuant to a contract between the Information Network of
16 Arkansas and such an agency.
17 (3) Agencies may contract to recover from the Information
18 Network of Arkansas costs incurred by providing such assistance to the
19 Information Network of Arkansas.
20 (4) The Information Network of Arkansas shall cooperate with the
21 division to fulfill the purposes of the Arkansas Information Systems Act of
22 1997, � 25-4-101 et seq.
23
24 SECTION 10. Arkansas Code � 25-27-105 is repealed.
25 25-27-105. Network manager.
26 (a)(1) The Information Network of Arkansas shall procure a network
27 manager after developing, in consultation with the Division of Information
28 Systems, criteria and specifications for such a network manager and his or
29 her duties.
30 (2)(A) The Information Network of Arkansas may negotiate and
31 enter into a contract with the network manager.
32 (B) The contract shall specify the duties and
33 responsibilities of the network manager and shall also include any other
34 terms necessary to the agreement.
35 (b) The network manager shall:
36 (1) Direct and supervise the day-to-day operations and expansion
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1 of the gateway system, including the initial phase of operations necessary to
2 make the gateway system operational;
3 (2) Attend meetings of the Information Network of Arkansas;
4 (3) Keep a record of all gateway, network, and related
5 operations of the Information Network of Arkansas. The records shall be the
6 property of the Information Network of Arkansas;
7 (4) Maintain and be a custodian of all financial and operational
8 records, documents, and papers filed with the Information Network of
9 Arkansas;
10 (5) Update and revise on a yearly basis the business plan of the
11 Information Network of Arkansas in consultation with and under the direction
12 of the Information Network of Arkansas;
13 (6) Submit to the Information Network of Arkansas quarterly
14 financial reports, an annual audit, an annual report, and any other
15 information requested by the Board of the Information Network of Arkansas;
16 and
17 (7) Perform other such activities or services as requested or
18 authorized by the Information Network of Arkansas consistent with the
19 provisions of this chapter.
20 (c) The division may provide to the Information Network of Arkansas
21 such staff and other assistance under contract.
22
23 SECTION 11. Arkansas Code � 27-50-906(a)(2)(B), concerning fees
24 charged under a central driver's records file, is repealed.
25 (B) The Information Network of Arkansas may charge an
26 additional fee under the Information Network of Arkansas Act, � 25-27-101 et
27 seq., for the service of transmitting this information electronically.
28
29 SECTION 12. Arkansas Code � 27-50-906(c), concerning fees charged
30 under a central driver's records file, is amended to read as follows:
31 (c)(1)(A) The fee for an insured's or applicant's driver confirmation
32 record shall be ten cents (10�) per record.
33 (B)(2) This The fee under subdivision (c)(1) of this section
34 shall be deposited into the fund as a direct revenue to be used by the
35 division.
36 (2) The network may charge an additional fee under the
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1 Information Network of Arkansas Act, � 25-27-101 et seq., for the service of
2 transmitting this information electronically.
3
4 SECTION 13. Arkansas Code � 27-50-912(f)(4), concerning fees for the
5 driver monitoring program report, is repealed.
6 (4) The Information Network of Arkansas may charge insurers or
7 their agents an additional fee under the Information Network of Arkansas Act,
8 � 25-27-101 et seq., for transmitting a driver monitoring report
9 electronically.
10
11 SECTION 14. DO NOT CODIFY. EFFECTIVE DATE. This act is effective on
12 and after January 1, 2026.
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