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2025 Regular Session Introduced by Trish Ranson

The bill would add electric vehicle charging stations to Arkansas's critical infrastructure, extending existing criminal protections to deter damage or tampering.

Authored by Senator Stewart (principal Senate author)

Summary — HB 1980 (Arkansas, 95th General Assembly, 2025)

Title: Technology and Energy for Sustainable Logistics Act (TESLA); add electric vehicle charging stations to definition of “critical infrastructure”
Status: Died in House committee (Sine Die adjournment)
Introduced: January 22, 2025
Primary Sponsors: Rep. Gazaway; Sen. B. Johnson
Companion bill: SB 942

Purpose / Intent

HB 1980, titled the "Technology and Energy for Sustainable Logistics Act (TESLA)," sought to designate electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as “critical infrastructure” for purposes of Arkansas criminal statutes addressing damage or destruction of property. The stated intent was to extend the existing legal protections and potential enhanced penalties that apply to other listed critical infrastructure facilities to EV charging infrastructure.

Key provisions

Amends Arkansas Code § 5-38-101(2) (definition of “critical infrastructure”) by adding an explicit item:

(P) An electric vehicle charging station.

Retains existing qualifying language that facilities counted as critical infrastructure are generally those either enclosed by a fence/physical barrier or clearly marked to indicate restricted or limited access or use.

Amendment H1 (adopted 4/7/2025) adjusted the access language to read “unauthorized access or use is limited or restricted or otherwise…” (a technical change to clarify the conditions under which a site is treated as restricted).

Note: The bill text as provided only amends the definition; it does not itself create new criminal penalties. Instead, designation as critical infrastructure would make EV charging stations subject to Arkansas’s existing criminal provisions that address damage, destruction, or tampering with critical infrastructure.

Who would be affected

Owners and operators of EV charging stations (private companies, utilities, municipalities).

Law enforcement and prosecutors (who could apply existing critical-infrastructure statutes to EV chargers).

Individuals who damage or interfere with EV charging stations — potentially subject to enhanced criminal treatment applicable to other critical infrastructure.

Indirectly, EV drivers and the broader public relying on charging networks could benefit from greater legal protection of charging assets.

Procedural / timeline notes

Introduced Jan 22, 2025. Amendment No. 1 was adopted and the bill was ordered engrossed on April 7, 2025.

Considered in subcommittee (public hearing) on May 5, 2025; testimony recorded; left pending in subcommittee.

Ultimately recorded as “Died in House Committee” at the Sine Die adjournment (May 5, 2025).

Companion bill SB 942 was filed.

Observations

If enacted, the change would not itself revise penalties but would extend the scope of existing critical-infrastructure criminal statutes to include EV chargers—potentially increasing legal exposure for persons who intentionally damage or tamper with charging stations. The bill did not advance to passage in the 2025 session.