Title 21 — Public Officers and Employees

(a) The employee handbook or manual of every state department, agency, board, commission, and institution of higher education and every employee handbook or manual of every constitutional office shall include the following statement: “The State of Arkansas does not discriminate i…

(a) As used in this section, “statement of selective service status” means a statement on an application for employment with the State of Arkansas or for admission to any public institution of higher education, sworn under penalty of perjury, that:(1) The person filing the certif…

For the purposes of this subchapter, “public employer” means any agency, department, board, commission, bureau, council, institution, or other entity of the state supported by appropriation of state or federal funds, or any county or municipality or other political subdivision of…

The prohibitions in this subchapter shall be limited to individuals who are at least forty (40) years of age.

(a) It shall be unlawful for a public employer to:(1) Fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his or her compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of the individual's age;(2)…

A.C.A. § 21-3-204Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) (1) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to prohibit compulsory retirement of any employee who has attained sixty-five (65) years of age, and who, for the two-year period immediately before retirement, is employed in a bona fide executive or a high policy-making posi…

A.C.A. § 21-3-206Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

Any requirement or rule set up for the purpose of selecting employees paid in whole or in part with state funds for positions subject to the Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, § 21-5-201 et seq., shall include rules under this subchapter.

(a) This section shall be entitled the “Veterans Preference Law”. (b) For purposes of this section, “veteran” means:(1) A person honorably discharged from a tour of active duty, other than active duty for training only, with the United States Armed Forces; or(2) Any person who ha…

(a) If requested by the veteran applicant and in addition to the requirements under § 21-3-302(d), a hiring official or selection authority for a state agency or institution of higher education subject to the Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, § 21-5-201 et seq., shall …

(a) A department or agency director or institution of higher education president or chancellor may separate any employee without prejudice because of lack of funds, curtailment of work, or in order to permit reinstatement of employees upon their release from periods of military s…

(a) An employee as defined in § 21-5-203 who has established veterans preference eligibility and has resigned while in good standing or who has been separated without prejudice shall be eligible for reemployment within a period of time no less than the continuous period of his or…

(a) It is declared to be the intent of the General Assembly that any person who holds an other than temporary position in the employ of the State of Arkansas shall not be denied retention in employment or any promotion or other incident or advantage of employment or transferred i…

(a) Recognizing the tremendous potential represented by the young people attending Arkansas institutions of higher education, and in due consideration of the great interest of the people of the State of Arkansas in retaining graduates of Arkansas institutions of higher education …

(1) For the purposes of this subchapter:(1) “Academic credit” means the recognized unit requirements which students attending eligible institutions must accomplish in order to receive a degree for completion of a two-year or four-year course of study;(2) “Arkansas Cooperative Edu…

Nothing in this subchapter is to be construed as barring or in any way limiting the employment of students within the State of Arkansas governmental system, even though the student is participating in the cooperative education program at an institution of higher education during …

There is established a cooperative education program for hiring qualified students from eligible institutions of higher education within the State of Arkansas to be administered by the State Personnel Administrator and the Arkansas Cooperative Education Advisory Committee, as pro…

(a) The Governor shall appoint an Arkansas Cooperative Education Advisory Committee to advise and consult with the State Personnel Administrator in carrying out the administration of this subchapter. (b) The State Personnel Administrator shall serve as chair ex officio of the com…

All offices, branches, and agencies within state government shall be eligible to participate in the cooperative education program.

(1) A student shall be eligible for a cooperative education placement upon:(1) Certification to the State Personnel Administrator by the student's cooperative education program director or coordinator that the student:(A) Has completed twenty-four (24) or more college credit hour…

(1) In order for any institution of higher education within the State of Arkansas to participate in the cooperative education program, that institution must meet the following criteria, as determined by the Arkansas Cooperative Education Advisory Committee:(1) The institution has…

(a) The State Personnel Administrator shall have the responsibility to administer the cooperative education program. (b) The duties of the State Personnel Administrator include, but are not limited to:(1) Disseminating information on the availability of students through the coope…

(a) The Department of Shared Administrative Services shall establish an internship program to be known as the “Arkansas Public Service Internship Program”. (b) The program shall utilize graduate students and undergraduate students to perform duties for the cabinet-level departmen…

This subchapter shall be known as the “Exceptional Employee Recruitment Program”.

(a) The Department of Finance and Administration shall promulgate rules providing for the recruitment of retired members of the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System to return to employment for the state. (b) Before a person recruited under the Exceptional Employee Recruit…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “E-Verify Requirement Act”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Employee” means a person directed, allowed, or permitted to perform labor or services of any kind for a state employer;(2) “Employer” means a state government department, board, bureau, political subdivision, or agency licensed under statute or…

(a) (1) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, an employer shall register and create an E-Verify employer account.(2) After hiring an employee, an employer shall:(A) Employ provisionally the employee until the employee's work authorization has been verified through…

Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to abrogate an employer's obligation to comply with federal immigration laws, including without limitation the completion and maintenance of federal employment eligibility verification forms or documents.

(a) An employer shall not employ an unauthorized alien. (b) Failure to comply with the requirements under this subchapter shall be presumed a violation of this section.

(a) For the purpose of enforcement of this subchapter, the Department of Labor and Licensing may request, and an employer shall provide, copies of any documentation relied upon by the employer for the verification of a new employee's employment eligibility. (b) A person or an ent…