Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1548 3
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By: Representative S. Meeks 5
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DIVISION OF 9
INFORMATION SYSTEMS; TO ABOLISH THE DATA AND 10
TRANSPARENCY PANEL; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
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Subtitle 14
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DIVISION 15
OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS; AND TO ABOLISH 16
THE DATA AND TRANSPARENCY PANEL. 17
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 25 -4-126(b)(7), concerning the duties of 21
the Chief Data Officer of the Division of Information Systems, is repealed. 22
(7) Direct and oversee the Data and Transparency Panel. 23
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 25 -4-127 is repealed. 25
25-4-127. Data and Transparency Panel — Creation — Duties. 26
(a) The Data and Transparency Panel is created within the Department 27
of Transformation and Shared Services. 28
(b) The panel shall consist of the following members: 29
(1)(A) Three (3) appointees from the private sector who shall be 30
appointed as follows: 31
(i) One (1) appointee shall be appointed by the 32
Governor; 33
(ii) One (1) appointee shall be appointed by the 34
Speaker of the House of Representatives; and 35
(iii) One (1) appointee shall be appointed by the 36 HB1548
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President Pro Tempore of the Senate. 1
(B) Each appointee shall serve at the pleasure of his or 2
her appointer. 3
(C) The appointer of an appointee who vacates his or her 4
position on the panel shall fill the vacancy as required under this section; 5
(2) The Attorney General or his or her designee; 6
(3) The secretaries, directors, or their designees, of the 7
following entities: 8
(A) The Department of Public Safety; 9
(B) The Department of Inspector General; 10
(C) The Department of Education; 11
(D) The Department of Energy and Environment; 12
(E) The Department of Corrections; 13
(F) The Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism; 14
(G) The Department of Finance and Administration; 15
(H) The Department of Health; 16
(I) The Department of Agriculture; 17
(J) The Department of Human Services; 18
(K) The Department of Transformation and Shared Services; 19
(L) The Department of Labor and Licensing; 20
(M) The Department of Veteran Affairs; 21
(N) The Department of the Military; and 22
(O) The Department of Commerce; 23
(4)(A) The Chief Data Officer of the Division of Information 24
Systems. 25
(B) The Chief Data Officer of the Division of Information 26
Systems shall be the Chair of the Data and Transparency Panel. 27
(C) The members of the panel shall select a vice chair 28
annually; 29
(5) The Chief Privacy Officer of the Division of Information 30
Systems; and 31
(6) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or his or her 32
designee. 33
(c) The panel shall: 34
(1) Evaluate and identify data to be included in the statewide 35
data warehouse program; 36 HB1548
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(2) Determine and recommend procedures necessary for the 1
implementation of a statewide data warehouse program; 2
(3) Oversee a statewide data warehouse program implemented in 3
this state; 4
(4) Evaluate and identify data that may be provided to the 5
public in accordance with data standards and specifications developed by the 6
Division of Information Systems; 7
(5) Engage other divisions, boards, and commissions by 8
soliciting input on information sharing opportunities; 9
(6) Provide annual reports to the Joint Committee on Advanced 10
Communications and Information Technology; 11
(7) Develop a unified longitudinal system that links existing 12
siloed agency information for education and workforce outcomes to 13
continuously conduct a business systems assessment to: 14
(A) Help the leaders of this state and service providers 15
develop an improved understanding of individual outcomes resulting from 16
education and workforce pipelines in Arkansas; 17
(B) Identify opportunities for improvement by using real -18
time information; and 19
(C) Continuously align programs and resources to the 20
evolving economy of this state; and 21
(8)(A) Develop a shared services data hub for statewide data 22
sharing in order to: 23
(i) Drive innovation and facilitate efficiency 24
across state agencies; 25
(ii) Improve the delivery of services; and 26
(iii) Better serve the residents of this state. 27
(B) In implementation of the shared services data hub 28
under subdivision (8)(A) of this section, the Division of Information Systems 29
shall: 30
(i)(a) Establish and maintain a program to collect, 31
analyze, and exchange government information in carrying out the powers and 32
duties of the executive state agency sharing the data. 33
(b) In carrying out the program under 34
subdivision (8)(B)(i)(a) of this section, the Division of Information Systems 35
may obtain government information from each executive state agency; 36 HB1548
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(ii) Establish and maintain a program to make 1
government information available to executive state agencies, political 2
subdivisions, educational institutions, researchers, nongovernmental 3
organizations, and the general public, subject to the following: 4
(a)(1) A program established and maintained 5
under this section shall include a policy governing access to government 6
information held by the Division of Information Systems under this chapter. 7
(2) Government information may be made 8
available only if doing so does not violate state or federal confidentiality 9
and disclosure laws; 10
(b)(1) The Division of Information Systems is 11
considered to be an agent of the executive state agency sharing government 12
information and is an authorized receiver of government information under the 13
statutory or administrative law that governs the government information 14
unless: 15
(A) The Division of Information 16
Systems or executive state agencies are specifically excluded as an 17
authorized receiver; or 18
(B) An authorized receiver of 19
government information is specifically enumerated under the statutory or 20
administrative law governing the government information without stated 21
exceptions or qualifications. 22
(2) Interagency data sharing under this 23
section does not constitute a disclosure or release under any statutory or 24
administrative law that governs the government information; 25
(c)(1) A program established and maintained 26
under this section shall prescribe a form to be used to memorialize the 27
sharing of data under this section. 28
(2) The form required under subdivision 29
(8)(B)(ii)(c)(1) of this section shall be signed by the administrative head 30
of the executive state agency so long as the form does not require the 31
sharing of state agency information that would be in contradiction of 32
existing state or federal law; and 33
(d)(1) A data sharing form completed and 34
signed under subdivision (8)(B)(ii)(c)(1) of this section constitutes the 35
agreement required by any statutory or administrative law that governs the 36 HB1548
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data. 1
(2) Additional documentation is not 2
required to share data under this section; 3
(iii) Establish privacy and quality policy for 4
government information that complies with all applicable Arkansas and federal 5
laws, rules, and policies; 6
(iv) According to standards developed by the state 7
security office, establish and maintain a program to ensure the security of 8
government information under this section; and 9
(v) Establish a public portal that will provide 10
Arkansans with easy access to data. 11
(d)(1) The panel shall meet at least quarterly in each calendar year 12
at a time and place determined by the panel. 13
(2) Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the 14
chair. 15
(e) Nine (9) members of the panel shall constitute a quorum to 16
transact the business of the panel. 17
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SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 25 -4-128 is repealed. 19
25-4-128. Data and Transparency Panel — Records — Confidentiality. 20
(a) All records, reports, and other information obtained by the Data 21
and Transparency Panel shall be confidential unless approved for publication 22
in accordance with data standards and specifications developed by the 23
Division of Information Systems. 24
(b) A person, agency, or entity that furnishes confidential 25
information in good faith under this chapter is immune from criminal or civil 26
liability arising out of the release of the confidential information. 27
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SECTION 4. Arkansas Code Title 25, Chapter 4, is amended to add an 29
additional section to read as follows: 30
25-4-130. Statewide data integration and exchange. 31
(a) The Division of Information Systems shall: 32
(1) Oversee a statewide data program; 33
(2) Evaluate and identify data that may be provided to the 34
public in accordance with data standards and specifications developed by the 35
Division of Information Systems; 36 HB1548
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(3) Engage other departments, divisions, boards, and commissions 1
soliciting input on information sharing opportunities; 2
(4) Obtain state information from each cabinet -level department 3
and be considered an agent, authorized representative, and authorized 4
receiver of the cabinet -level department; 5
(5) Maintain and enhance a statewide longitudinal data system 6
that links existing state information to: 7
(A) Facilitate an improved understanding of individual 8
outcomes; 9
(B) Identify opportunities for improvement; and 10
(C) Continuously align programs and resources; 11
(6) Maintain and enhance a statewide shared services data hub 12
for data sharing to link state information; 13
(7) Establish and maintain policies and procedures for access to 14
state information; 15
(8) Establish privacy and quality policies for the protection of 16
state information in compliance with state and federal laws; 17
(9) Establish and maintain policies to ensure the security of 18
state information in accordance with standards developed by the State 19
Cybersecurity Office; and 20
(10) Establish and maintain a public portal that will provide a 21
resident with easy access to data. 22
(b)(1) The Division of Information Systems shall prescribe a 23
standardized process to be used for the sharing of data. 24
(2) Interagency data sharing under this section is not a 25
disclosure or release under any statutory or administrative law that governs 26
the state information. 27
(c) State information may be made available only if doing so does not 28
violate: 29
(1) State confidentiality and disclosure laws as they existed on 30
January 1, 2025; or 31
(2) Federal confidentiality and disclosure laws as they existed 32
on January 1, 2025. 33
(d)(1) Each cabinet -level department shall assign a data steward to 34
serve as the primary contact between the Division of Information Systems and 35
the cabinet-level department. 36 HB1548
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(2) A data steward under subdivision (d)(1) of this section 1
shall be responsible for, including without limitation: 2
(A) Implementing data governance policies in the cabinet -3
level department; 4
(B) Cataloging data; 5
(C) Approving data usage; and 6
(D) Coordinating data integration and exchange. 7
(3) A data steward under this subsection (d) may be assigned at 8
a department, division, or program level, depending on the level that is most 9
practical for the cabinet -level department. 10
(e) The Division of Information Systems shall provide an annual 11
written report to the Joint Committee on Advanced Communications and 12
Information Technology. 13
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