Bill
HB 1710
Arkansas HB 1710 bans public schools from using or referencing other schools’ DESE ratings in any public advertising or communications.
Note on source material and scope
- The documents supplied include multiple, different bills all labeled “HB 1710” from different states and with conflicting titles (e.g., an Arkansas bill on school ratings, an Illinois Public Act on homicide reporting, and other unrelated drafts). The metadata at the top (Title: "Income tax; exclude tips from gross income"; Status: Died in Committee) appears inconsistent with the primary bill text provided.
- Below I summarize the principal bill text present in the Version Content (Arkansas House Bill 1710, 95th General Assembly, 2025) and include a brief note on the unrelated Illinois enactment also present in the documents. Please confirm which state/version you want if you need a summary of a different HB 1710.
Arkansas HB 1710 — Prohibit schools from using or referencing another school’s public school rating in public communications
Purpose and intent
- To prevent schools from using or referencing the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s published public school ratings of other schools in any advertising, promotional material, or communications directed to the public.
Key provisions
- Amendment to Arkansas Code § 6-15-2105: adds a new subsection (c) with two subdivisions:
1. Prohibition: “No school shall use or reference a public school rating of another school that is published by the division under this subchapter in any advertising, promotional material, or communication the school directs to the public.”
2. Definition: “School” is defined to include public school districts, open-enrollment public charter schools, and private schools.
- The bill’s text deletes/strikes existing language as indicated in the draft, but the operative addition is the new prohibition described above.
Who is affected
- All Arkansas public school districts, open-enrollment public charter schools, and private schools — specifically when they create advertising, promotional materials, or public-directed communications.
- The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is the source of ratings referenced; DESE’s publication practice is not restricted by this bill, but use of those published ratings in comparative advertising by schools would be barred.
Fiscal and procedural effects
- Fiscal Impact: The Arkansas Department of Education prepared a fiscal impact statement indicating “No Fiscal Impact to ADE.”
- Enforcement/penalties: The bill text as provided does not include explicit enforcement mechanisms, civil remedies, or penalties for violations; enforcement approach would be unclear absent further legislative language or agency rules.
- Legislative status (as provided): Introduced Dec. 30, 2024; active in committee and calendar stages per timeline entries; documents show committee consideration and committee substitute activity. Other timeline entries indicate the author later withdrew the bill (noted 2025-04-08) and an overall status in the metadata as “Died In Committee.” Confirm current status with the official Arkansas legislative records for final disposition.
Other content in the packet (brief)
- The packet also contains an Illinois Public Act labeled HB1710 (Public Act 104‑0197) that establishes quarterly homicide reporting duties for the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and requires the Illinois State Police to submit specified homicide- and firearm-related data beginning in 2026. That measure is distinct from the Arkansas school-rating bill.
If you want
- I can prepare: (a) a cleaned, single-state summary of the Arkansas bill with suggested legal/administrative implications and possible enforcement scenarios; (b) a separate summary of the Illinois homicide-reporting measure (Public Act 104‑0197); or (c) track down the precise current status and final disposition for the Arkansas HB 1710 in the official legislative database. Which would you prefer?
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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