# Arkansas SB227: TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967; AND TO AMEND THE PROVISIONS OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967 CONCERNING PUBLIC MEETINGS. Arkansas SB227, TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967; AND TO AMEND THE PROVISIONS OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967 CONCERNING PUBLIC MEETINGS., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Clarke Tucker (Democratic), Jon S. Eubanks (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-04-10 (Notification that SB227 is now Act 505) (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB227-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas SB227 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967; AND TO AMEND THE PROVISIONS OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967 CONCERNING PUBLIC MEETINGS. - Status: enacted - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-13 - Last action: 2025-04-10, Notification that SB227 is now Act 505 - Sponsors: Clarke Tucker (Democratic), Jon S. Eubanks (Republican) - Cosponsors: 14 - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 3 (151 yes, 8 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Boards face limits on private decisions: benefit, low. Board members cannot join polls they know, or reasonably should know, seek another member's vote or position. Outside-meeting communications about foreseeable official action are restricted, including sharing another member's intended vote or support or opposition. Scheduling, agenda, and backgroun… - Remote meeting recordings must be kept: benefit, low. The recording provision requires remote portions of public meetings to be recorded in the format used. Covered meeting recordings must be kept for at least 1 year and be reproducible on request. Executive sessions and volunteer fire departments are exempt. However, the supplied provisions also desc… - Residents get meeting notices and access: benefit, low. Regular meeting notice is required at least 3 days ahead, unless another law sets a different deadline. Local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations must receive emergency or special meeting notice at least 2 hours ahead. Bodies with a website or social media page, including their public entit… - Remote board members lose attendance payments: cost, low. Governing-body members cannot receive mileage or per diem payments for attending a public meeting remotely. The provision gives no payment amounts. - Separate recording and storage duties removed: cost, low. The repeal provision removes the described duty to record open public meetings in the format used. It also removes the described requirement to keep those records for at least 1 year. No effective date is supplied. This conflicts with recording duties described elsewhere in the supplied provisions,… - Boards can discuss cyberattacks in private: mixed, low. Governing bodies can hold closed sessions to discuss their response to a cyberattack or other cybersecurity breach. Before closing the meeting, the presiding officer must publicly announce the specific purpose. Only people legally needed for that purpose can attend. Any action taken in the closed s… - Public employees can coordinate outside meetings: mixed, low. Two or more public-entity employees or agents can communicate outside a public meeting to carry out an authorized duty. This permission concerns employees and agents, not governing-body members acting as a body. - Public meeting rules have specific exclusions: mixed, low. Formal regular or special gatherings of governing bodies count as public meetings, whether held in person or remotely. Informal gatherings fall outside this definition, but separate rules ban informal gatherings used for official business or deliberation. Court-ordered settlement discussions and me… - Remote board attendance has voting safeguards: mixed, low. Members generally must be physically present to count toward a quorum or vote, unless a legal exception applies. Bodies other than municipalities, counties, and public school districts may adopt remote-attendance policies; school districts follow separate state rules. Remote voting requires identit… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Clarke Tucker (Democratic), Senate - Sponsor: Jon S. Eubanks (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Andrew Collins (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Breanne Davis (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Clint Penzo (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Gary Stubblefield (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Jimmy Gazaway (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Zack Gramlich (Republican), House - Cosponsor: RJ Hawk (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Justin Boyd (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Jim Petty (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Jay Richardson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Lee Johnson (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Mark D. McElroy (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Richard Womack (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jeremy Wooldridge (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-07 | Senate | Senate Vote - Monday, April 7, 2025 1:36:20 PM | pass | 34 | 1 | | | 2025-03-31 | House | House Vote - Monday, March 31, 2025 3:56:46 PM | pass | 87 | 5 | 5 | | 2025-03-13 | Senate | Senate Vote - Thursday, March 13, 2025 2:06:43 PM | pass | 30 | 2 | | ## Actions (41) - 2025-04-10: Notification that SB227 is now Act 505 (Senate) - 2025-04-08: DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. (Senate) - 2025-04-08: Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor. (Senate) - 2025-04-07: ORDERED ENROLLED (Senate) - 2025-04-07: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-07: Rules suspended. (Senate) - 2025-04-07: House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in. (Senate) - 2025-04-07: Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment. (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Returned from the House as passed as amended # 1 . (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Returned to Senate as passed, as amended # 1 (House) - 2025-03-31: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-03-19: Returned by the Committee Do Pass (House) - 2025-03-18: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (House) - 2025-03-18: Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. (House) - 2025-03-18: Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment. (House) - 2025-03-13: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- HOUSE (House) - 2025-03-13: RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE (House) - 2025-03-13: Ordered immediately transmitted to the House. (Senate) - 2025-03-13: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-03-12: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Amendment # 5 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment. (Senate) - 2025-03-11: Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 5 (Senate) - 2025-03-10: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-10: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-10: Amendment # 4 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-10: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 4 (Senate) - 2025-03-03: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-03: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-03: Amendment # 3 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-03: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 3 (Senate) - 2025-02-26: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-02-26: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-02-26: Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-02-26: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 2 (Senate) - 2025-02-20: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-02-20: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-02-20: Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-02-20: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1 (Senate) - 2025-02-13: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-02-13: Filed (Senate) ## Bill text - SB227 - Introduced, 2025-02-13: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB227.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=505.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related bills - HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. (enacted) - HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO SET PENALTIES FOR A VIOLATION OF THE PROHIBITION OF SOLICITATION OF INJURED INDIV… (failed) - HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS. (failed) - SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE USE OF ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS; AND TO REGULATE ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES. (failed) - HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO ALLOW A MUNICIPALITY TO PETITION TO SET ASIDE THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO CERTAIN P… (failed) - HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO REQUIRE THAT A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BE SELECTED A… (failed) ## Sources - [SB227 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB227.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=505.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related - [HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1265-2025) - [HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1237-2025) - [HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1686-2025) - [SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE US…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB440-2025) - [HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1695-2025) - [HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HR1012-2025) - [Arkansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas/bills) - [Arkansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB227-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).