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: H4/3/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1951
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5 By: Representative A. Collins
6 By: Senator J. Bryant
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8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO SET FORTH AUTHORIZED DOMAIN EXTENSIONS FOR
10 HIGHER EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT WEBSITES; AND FOR
11 OTHER PURPOSES.
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14 Subtitle
15 TO SET FORTH AUTHORIZED DOMAIN
16 EXTENSIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND
17 GOVERNMENT WEBSITES.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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21 SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Legislative findings.
22 The General Assembly finds that:
23 (1) Certain domain extensions are restricted to government entities in
24 the United States;
25 (2) When users see a website with a ".gov", a ".mil", or a ".edu"
26 extension, they can be confident that it is an official government website;
27 (3) Using a government extension provides an additional layer of
28 security, as it requires stringent verification processes to obtain, reducing
29 the likelihood of phishing scams and other fraudulent activities;
30 (4) A government extension signifies that the website is an official
31 source of government information or services, helping to ensure that members
32 of the public have access to accurate and reliable information from trusted
33 sources; and
34 (5) Using a government extension reinforces government accountability
35 and transparency, as it clearly identifies official government entities and
36 their online presence.
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As Engrossed: H4/3/25 HB1951
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2 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 1, Subchapter 1, is amended
3 to add an additional section to read as follows:
4 6-1-109. Public institutionally accredited postsecondary or higher
5 education institution websites -- Use of authorized domain extension --
6 Definition.
7 (a) As used in this section, "public institutionally accredited
8 postsecondary or higher education institution" means a public postsecondary
9 or higher education institution that holds an institutional accreditation by
10 an agency on the United States Department of Education's list of
11 Institutional Accrediting Agencies as it existed on January 1, 2025.
12 (b) A public institutionally accredited postsecondary or higher
13 education institution shall use a ".edu" top level domain for:
14 (1) The website address for the website, if any, of the public
15 institutionally accredited postsecondary or higher education institution; and
16 (2) Any email addresses made available by the public
17 institutionally accredited postsecondary or higher education institution for
18 use by the:
19 (A) Public institutionally accredited postsecondary or
20 higher education institution; and
21 (B) Employees of the public institutionally accredited
22 postsecondary or higher education institution.
23 (c) A public institutionally accredited postsecondary or higher
24 education institution may operate a website that uses a sponsored top-level
25 domain that is not a ".edu" domain if:
26 (1) A reasonable person would not mistake the website as the
27 primary website of the public institutionally accredited postsecondary or
28 higher education institution; and
29 (2) The website of the public institutionally accredited
30 postsecondary or higher education institution is:
31 (A) Solely for internal use and not intended for use by
32 members of the public;
33 (B) Temporary and in use by the public institutionally
34 accredited postsecondary or higher education institution for a period of no
35 more than one (1) calendar year;
36 (C) Related to an event, program, or informational
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As Engrossed: H4/3/25 HB1951
1 campaign operated by the public institutionally accredited postsecondary or
2 higher education institution in partnership with another person or entity
3 that is not a governmental entity; or
4 (D) Related to a collegiate athletics program.
5 (d) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board may authorize a
6 waiver of the requirements of subsection (b) of this section if:
7 (1) There are extraordinary circumstances under which use of an
8 ".edu" top level domain extension would cause demonstrable harm to members of
9 the public or businesses; and
10 (2) A representative of the public institutionally accredited
11 postsecondary or higher education institution submits a written request to
12 the board that includes a justification for the waiver.
13
14 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code Title 14, Chapter 1, Subchapter 1, is amended
15 to add an additional section to read as follows:
16 14-1-112. Municipal government -- Use of authorized domain extension.
17 (a) A municipal government shall use a ".gov" sponsored top-level
18 domain for:
19 (1) The website address for the website, if any, of the
20 municipal government; and
21 (2) Any email addresses made available by the municipal
22 government for use by the:
23 (A) Municipal government; and
24 (B) Employees of the municipal government.
25 (b) A municipal government may operate a website that uses a sponsored
26 top-level domain that is not a ".gov" domain if:
27 (1) A reasonable person would not mistake the website as the
28 primary website of the municipal government; and
29 (2) The website of the municipal government is:
30 (A) Solely for internal use and not intended for use by
31 members of the public;
32 (B) Temporary and in use by the municipal government for a
33 period of no more than one (1) year; or
34 (C) Related to an event, program, or informational
35 campaign operated by the municipal government in partnership with another
36 person or entity that is not a governmental entity.
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As Engrossed: H4/3/25 HB1951
1 (c) The Legislative Council may authorize a waiver of the requirements
2 of subsection (a) of this section if:
3 (1) There are extraordinary circumstances under which use of a
4 ".gov" sponsored top-level domain extension would cause demonstrable harm to
5 citizens or businesses; and
6 (2) A representative of the municipal government submits a
7 written request to the Legislative Council that includes a justification for
8 the waiver.
9
10 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code Title 25, Chapter 1, Subchapter 1, is amended
11 to add an additional section to read as follows:
12 25-1-131. State agencies, boards, or commissions -- Use of authorized
13 domain extension -- Definition.
14 (a) As used in this section, "state agency, board, or commission"
15 means a state agency, board, or commission established by law, except for a
16 board or commission that primarily serves a public institutionally accredited
17 postsecondary or higher education institution and that makes available to
18 members email addresses with a ".edu" top-level domain.
19 (b) A state agency, board, or commission shall use a ".gov" or a
20 ".mil" sponsored top-level domain for:
21 (1) The website address for the website, if any, of the state
22 agency, board, or commission; and
23 (2) Any email addresses made available by the state agency,
24 board, or commission for use by the:
25 (A) State agency, board, or commission; and
26 (B) Employees of the state agency, board, or commission.
27 (c) A state agency, board, or commission may operate a website that
28 uses a sponsored top-level domain that is not a ".gov" or a ".mil" domain if:
29 (1) A reasonable person would not mistake the website as the
30 primary website of the state agency, board, or commission; and
31 (2) The website of the state agency, board, or commission is:
32 (A) Solely for internal use and not intended for use by
33 members of the public;
34 (B) Temporary and in use by the state agency, board, or
35 commission for a period of no more than one (1) year; or
36 (C) Related to an event, program, or informational
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As Engrossed: H4/3/25 HB1951
1 campaign operated by the state agency, board, or commission in partnership
2 with another person or entity that is not a governmental entity.
3 (d) The Legislative Council may authorize a waiver of the requirements
4 of subsection (b) of this section if:
5 (1) There are extraordinary circumstances under which use of a
6 ".gov" or a ".mil" top-level domain extension would cause demonstrable harm
7 to citizens or businesses; and
8 (2) The secretary, chair, or other principal of the state
9 agency, board, or commission submits a written request to the Legislative
10 Council that includes a justification for the waiver.
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12 SECTION 5. DO NOT CODIFY. Effective date.
13 This act is effective on and after June 1, 2026, except as to cities
14 and towns that have a population of fewer than ten thousand (10,000)
15 inhabitants, which will be required to comply with this act on and after
16 January 1, 2027.
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18 /s/A. Collins
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5 04-03-2025 11:59:58 LJH019Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.