public meetings
Anti-transparency measure withers in Arkansas Senate committee
First, the good news: Rep. Mary Bentley’s bill narrowing what counts as a public meeting failed on a voice vote in a Senate committee Tuesday. That effectively kills it for this session. I hope. Thanks to the government transparency debate her legislation sparked, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the ambiguity in the Arkansas […]
Rep. Ray escalates the assault on the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act
The attack on your right to know the hows and whys of government decisions in Arkansas grows more intense in the 94th General Assembly. Legislation filed Monday by Republican Rep. David Ray of Maumelle bulldozes the public records portion of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act of 1967. House Bill 1726 hides the following documents […]
A win for keeping the public in public meetings in Arkansas
Government transparency supporters in Arkansas won a skirmish Wednesday in a long-running battle over the public’s right to know. An Arkansas House committee, on a split voice vote, rejected proposed legislation that defined a public meeting as a quorum of a city, county or school district governing body or other state boards or commissions. House […]
Arkansas House committee votes down bill to loosen public meetings law
EDITORS’ NOTE: Advocate Editor Sonny Albarado testified against House Bill 1610 during the March 15, 2023, meeting of the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs in his capacity as a member of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Coalition. A panel of state representatives rebuffed an attempt on Wednesday to allow members of local […]