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HB 1951

Education; Education Reform Act of 2025; effective date.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Michelle McCane

Arkansas requires public colleges, cities, and state agencies to use designated top-level domains (.edu, .gov, .mil) for official websites and emails, with limited waivers.

Second Reading referred to Rules
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Bill Summary · HB 1951

Summary — HB 1951 (2025): Authorized domain extensions for higher education and government websites

Note on metadata: The materials provided combine text and legislative-history items from multiple sources and jurisdictions (including an Illinois HB1951). This summary focuses on the Arkansas bill text contained in the packet — an act that sets required top‑level domains for public higher‑education institutions, municipal governments, and state agencies — and notes inconsistencies in the procedural record below.

Purpose

To require Arkansas public, institutionally accredited postsecondary/higher‑education institutions, municipal governments, and state agencies/boards/commissions to use designated sponsored top‑level domains (.edu, .gov, .mil where applicable) for their public web presence and official email addresses, with limited exceptions and waiver processes. The intent (per the bill findings) is to increase public confidence, security, and transparency in official online communications.

Key provisions

  • Adds three new Arkansas Code sections:

    • 6-1-109 — Public institutionally accredited postsecondary or higher education institutions:
    • Defines “public institutionally accredited postsecondary or higher education institution” as one holding institutional accreditation from an agency on the U.S. Department of Education list as of Jan 1, 2025.
    • Requires use of the “.edu” top‑level domain for the institution’s website (if any) and for email addresses provided for the institution and its employees.
    • Allows non‑.edu sponsored domains only for secondary sites that a reasonable person would not mistake for the institution’s primary site, and only when the site is internal, temporary (≤1 year), related to an event/program/campaign run with a non‑government partner, or related to collegiate athletics.
    • Grants the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board authority to waive the .edu requirement for “extraordinary circumstances” with a written justification.
    • 14-1-112 — Municipal governments:
    • Requires municipal governments to use “.gov” for their primary website and official email addresses.
    • Permits non‑.gov sponsored domains under conditions parallel to those for higher education (non‑primary, internal/temporary ≤1 year, or event/program in partnership with a non‑government entity).
    • Authorizes the Legislative Council to grant waivers for extraordinary circumstances with written justification.
    • 25-1-131 — State agencies, boards, commissions:
    • Requires use of “.gov” or “.mil” for primary websites and official email addresses (excluding certain boards/commissions primarily serving higher education that already provide “.edu” emails).
    • Includes same limited exceptions and waiver authority (Legislative Council).

  • Amendment H1: clarifies temporary period language and substitutes the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the State Board of Higher Education in waiver authority; explicitly includes collegiate athletics as an allowed secondary domain use.

Who would be affected

  • Public, institutionally accredited postsecondary/higher‑education institutions in Arkansas (as defined).
  • Municipal governments (cities/towns).
  • State agencies, boards, and commissions (with some carve‑outs for higher‑education‑serving boards).
  • Citizens and businesses interacting with those entities online (potential security/clarity benefits).
  • IT departments and web/communications staff of affected entities (may need to migrate domains, update email systems, and seek waivers when appropriate).

Procedural / timeline notes and status

  • Introduced: January 17, 2025 (sponsor: Rep. A. Collins; Senate sponsor: J. Bryant). Companion: SB 925.
  • The packet contains mixed procedural entries (some indicate committee hearings April 9, 2025; amendment adopted April 3; readings and passage entries dated April 16 and an “Act 929” notification April 21). Other entries show “Died In Committee.” Because the provided record is inconsistent and appears to include materials from different states, users should verify final status in the official Arkansas legislative database for the 95th General Assembly.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Benefits: clearer public trust signals (.gov/.edu/.mil), reduced phishing risk, standardized official web identity.
  • Costs/administration: domain migrations, email reconfiguration, public‑facing link updates, and possible short‑term confusion during transitions.
  • The bill contains waiver provisions to address demonstrable harms or extraordinary circumstances. No penalties or enforcement mechanisms are specified in the provided text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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