Bill
HB 1956
Arkansas Nighttime Environment Protection Act would have standarded outdoor lighting to reduce glare, light pollution, and energy use, setting full-cutoff fixtures and color-temp l
Note on sources and scope
- The materials you provided contain conflicting metadata (a line about “City of Verona; authorize the levying of an additional special sales tax for water and sewer infrastructure” and an Illinois appropriation text) but the full bill text you included is an Arkansas measure titled the “Arkansas Nighttime Environment Protection Act.” This summary addresses the Arkansas Nighttime Environment Protection Act as contained in the HB 1956 text you supplied. If you intended a different HB 1956 (local sales-tax measure or the Illinois bill), tell me which and I will summarize that instead.
Summary: Arkansas Nighttime Environment Protection Act (HB 1956 — 95th GA, 2025)
Purpose and intent
- Establish statewide standards for outdoor nighttime lighting to promote safety, conserve energy, reduce public costs, and preserve the natural nighttime environment for human health and wildlife. The bill cites medical concerns (including AMA positions) about excessive/blue-rich lighting and glare.
Key provisions
- New chapter added to Arkansas Code Title 8 (Chapter 16), defining the “Arkansas Nighttime Environment Protection Act” and related terms.
- Definitions: “fixture” (lighting unit ≥1,800 lumens), “full cutoff” (≤2% light above horizontal plane), “lighting system” (group of substantially identical adjoining fixtures used for street or same-property parking/area lighting), plus illuminance, light pollution, light trespass, and governing body.
- Installation requirements (applies to state agencies, counties, municipalities, and investor‑owned public utilities): a new or replacement lighting system must:
- Use full‑cutoff fixtures;
- Provide illuminance no greater than appropriate per Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) guidelines as of Jan 1, 2025, or the USDOT minimum as of that date;
- Consider minimizing glare, light pollution, light trespass, and reducing energy use;
- Limit color temperature to ≤3,000 K in residential areas and ≤4,000 K in all other areas (unless a recognized standard requires otherwise);
- Require contractors installing residential-area systems that will become the city’s responsibility to use full‑cutoff fixtures at ≤3,000 K.
- Exemptions:
- Where federal law preempts state rules;
- Special lighting needs (sports facilities following recognized IES practice, historic decorative lighting, monuments, decorative bridge lighting); exempted fixtures must still be selected/installed to minimize upward light and trespass to the greatest extent possible;
- Public or private correctional, detention, and mental‑health facilities;
- Local governing body may adopt a narrowly tailored ordinance for a single project if compliant systems cannot meet safety needs without excessive cost; the ordinance is limited to the current project and must specify the system, location, and cost/safety justification.
- Utility cost recovery:
- Investor‑owned public utilities may seek interim surcharges from the Arkansas Public Service Commission to recover investments/expenses incurred to comply if: (1) costs are not already recovered in rates, (2) reasonably incurred, (3) were not reasonably known/measurable in time to be included in the last general rate case, and (4) incurred to comply with this chapter.
- The interim surcharge remains effective until the costs can be included in the utility’s base rates in the next general rate filing.
Who would be affected
- State agencies, counties, municipalities, and investor‑owned utilities installing new or replacement street or large‑area/parking lighting systems.
- Contractors performing municipal/residential lighting installs.
- Utilities seeking cost recovery through the Public Service Commission.
- Entities using special-purpose lighting (sports venues, monuments, historic structures, bridges) subject to limited exemptions.
- Residents and wildlife via reduced light pollution, glare, and potentially lower energy use/costs.
Procedural/timeline status
- Introduced: January 17, 2025.
- Engrossed with Amendment No. 1 (reported correctly engrossed Apr 10, 2025).
- Passed the House and transmitted to the Senate (Apr 14, 2025).
- Referred to Senate committees; ultimately died in committee at sine die adjournment (May 5, 2025). The measure did not become law.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Would have standardized outdoor lighting design across public entities in Arkansas to reduce sky glow and energy use and to limit blue‑rich lighting outdoors.
- Could increase upfront costs for local governments/utilities replacing fixtures (but the bill provides an interim cost‑recovery path for investor‑owned utilities).
- Leaves room for limited, documented exceptions where safety or cost prevents compliance.
- Implementation would depend on enforcement by local governing bodies and the Arkansas Public Service Commission for utility recovery filings.
If you want: I can (1) produce a one‑page handout, (2) extract the bill’s specific statutory additions in legal‑style language, or (3) summarize the other HB 1956 variants referenced in your materials (City of Verona sales tax or Illinois appropriation).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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