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HB 1769

Insurance; purchase of benefits by school district employees; enrollment period; effective date.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Dell Kerbs and 1 co-sponsor

Arkansas HB1769 would require pre-employment and every-five-year psychological evaluations for all law enforcement officers, with a two-year max age for new-employer submissions.

Second Reading referred to Education
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 1769

Summary — HB 1769 (mixed-source documents; primary focus: Arkansas law enforcement provisions)

Note on source documents: The materials provided combine text from multiple bills numbered HB 1769 in different states (Arkansas, Mississippi, and Illinois). This summary focuses on the primary Arkansas bill text and fiscal impact statement included in the packet (Rep. Barnett), which would require psychological evaluations for law enforcement officers. At the end I note the unrelated appropriation and Illinois election materials that also appear in the provided documents.

Purpose and intent

The Arkansas HB 1769 (As Engrossed H3/20/25, sponsored by Rep. Barnett) would establish mandatory psychological evaluations or assessments for individuals before employment as law enforcement officers and on an ongoing basis for employed officers. The intent is to standardize mental health screening and periodic reassessment of officers’ psychological fitness for duty.

Key provisions

  • New section added to Arkansas Code (12-9-127) requiring:

    • Pre-employment psychological evaluation/assessment by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist for all individuals prior to employment with a law enforcement agency.
    • Re-evaluation/assessment of every law enforcement officer (full-time, part-time, auxiliary) at least once every five (5) years by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist qualified to perform such assessments in Arkansas.
    • Psychological evaluations may be conducted in person or via telemedicine.
    • A law enforcement applicant seeking a position with a new/different agency may not submit an evaluation older than two (2) years to that agency or to the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (the “commission”).
    • Officers must update their psychological evaluation/assessment with the commission every five years to maintain certification (text indicates a certification-maintenance requirement).

  • Amendment H1: clarified frequency as “every five (5) years” (replacing earlier “biennially”) and added the two‑year maximum age for evaluations submitted to a new employer.

Who is affected

  • All current and prospective law enforcement officers in Arkansas (including full-time, part-time, and auxiliary officers).
  • Arkansas law enforcement agencies (local police departments, sheriff’s offices) that must ensure compliance and may incur costs.
  • The Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (ACLEST) — required to implement and track evaluations.

Fiscal impact and costs

  • Fiscal Impact Statement (3/25/2025) identifies state General Revenue cost of $88,221 (for extra commission staff to process additional evaluations).
  • Local governments (law enforcement agencies) are expected to bear the bulk of evaluation costs (payment mechanism addressed in the bill but typically paid locally). Local costs will vary with the number of new hires, number of officers to be re-evaluated, evaluator availability, and evaluator rates.
  • The commission is the reporting/assurance entity for fiscal assumptions.

Timeline / procedural status (Arkansas)

  • Introduced: January 8, 2025 (Rep. Barnett).
  • Amended and engrossed: Amendment H1 adopted (3/20/2025).
  • Committee and floor actions through March–May 2025 are recorded.
  • Final status (per provided chronology): Died In Conference (3/29/2025) — the measure did not become law in this session.

Other materials in the packet (not part of the Arkansas psych-evaluation bill)

  • Substantial appropriation language and amendments for a Mississippi “Authority for Educational Television” (amounts shown: $4,547,938.00 from General Fund and $6,353,694.00 from special funds; FY2026 headcount and agency reporting provisions). This appears to be Mississippi HB 1769 text or an amendment and is unrelated to the Arkansas psych-evaluation provisions.
  • An Illinois HB1769 draft concerning voter identification and issuance of Voter Identification Cards (placed in the packet but unrelated to Arkansas provisions).

If you want, I can:
- Produce a clean, standalone summary only of the Arkansas HB 1769 text for distribution; or
- Produce a short comparative note explaining differences between the Arkansas, Mississippi, and Illinois HB1769s included in your files.

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

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