Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1689 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 355 of the Regular Session
3	2		TNL161 03/05/2025 7:39:08 AM TNL161
4	3		State of Arkansas 1
5	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
6	5		Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1689 3
7	6		4
8	7		By: Representatives M. Shepherd, Eubanks 5
9	8		By: Senator D. Wallace 6
10	9		7
11	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
12	11		AN ACT TO REQUIRE A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TO GRANT 9
13	12		ACCESS TO ITS FACILITIES TO OFFICIAL RECRUITING 10
14	13		REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MILITARY; TO REQUIRE CERTAIN 11
15	14		STATE-SUPPORTED POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS TO GRANT 12
16	15		ACCESS TO ITS FACILITIES TO OFFICIAL RECRUITING 13
17	16		REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MILITARY; AND FOR OTHER 14
18	17		PURPOSES. 15
19	18		16
20	19		17
21	20		Subtitle 18
22	21		TO REQUIRE A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TO GRANT 19
23	22		ACCESS TO ITS FACILITIES TO MILITARY 20
24	23		RECRUITERS; AND TO REQUIRE CERTAIN 21
25	24		STATE-SUPPORTED POSTSECONDARY 22
26	25		INSTITUTIONS TO GRANT ACCESS TO ITS 23
27	26		FACILITIES TO MILITARY RECRUITERS. 24
28	27		25
29	28		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 26
30	29		27
31	30		SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -13-626 is amended to read as follows: 28
32	31		6-13-626. Access of military recruiters to school facilities and 29
33	32		records — Definitions. 30
34	33		(a) If the board of directors of a school district permits access to 31
35	34		the school grounds, facilities, and records by any person or group of persons 32
36	35		whose purpose is to make students aware of occupational and educational 33
37	36		options and opportunities, the A public school district board of directors 34
38	37		shall also permit such grant access on the same basis within each high school 35
39	38		in its district to official recruiting representatives of the military forces 36 HB1689
40	39
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42	41		recruiters of the state and the United States to enable those official 1
43	42		recruiting representatives to inform students of educational and career 2
44	43		opportunities available in the military. 3
45	44		(b) If a public high school does not grant access within the public 4
46	45		high school to prospective employers, institutions of higher education, 5
47	46		career entities, educational entities, and occupational entities, then the 6
48	47		public high school shall grant only limited access within the public high 7
49	48		school to military forces recruiters only to the extent to allow the military 8
50	49		forces recruiters to engage with students in grades ten through twelve (10 -9
51	50		12) in an in-person setting during normal school hours and at events that are 10
52	51		open to the public and outside of normal school hours. 11
53	52		(c) A military forces recruiter shall be permitted to engage with all 12
54	53		students in a public high school regardless of academic standing, class 13
55	54		enrollment, career aspirations, or participation in extracurricular 14
56	55		activities. 15
57	56		(d)(1) Each public high school shall provide an equal opportunity for 16
58	57		a military forces recruiter to present in person to students in grades ten 17
59	58		through twelve (10-12). 18
60	59		(2)(A) A military forces recruiter shall not be restricted by a 19
61	60		public school district to specific events, locations, or time periods unless 20
62	61		the restrictions to specific events, locations, or time periods apply to 21
63	62		prospective employers, institutions of higher education, career entities, 22
64	63		educational entities, and occupational entities. 23
65	64		(B) However, a restriction under subdivision (d)(2)(A) of 24
66	65		this section shall not prevent access of military forces recruiters to public 25
67	66		high schools as defined by this section. 26
68	67		(e)(1) A military forces recruiter shall be permitted to distribute 27
69	68		and collect information, administer surveys, and receive student contact 28
70	69		details in the same manner and under the same conditions as prospective 29
71	70		employers, institutions of higher education, career entities, educational 30
72	71		entities, and occupational entities. 31
73	72		(2) A public high school shall not impose additional privacy or 32
74	73		administrative barriers or parental consent requirements on a military forces 33
75	74		recruiter that are not imposed on prospective employers, institutions of 34
76	75		higher education, career entities, educational entities, and occupational 35
77	76		entities. 36 HB1689
78	77
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80	79		(f) The Secretary of the Department of the Military shall: 1
81	80		(1) Collect information from Arkansas National Guard recruiters 2
82	81		regarding compliance with this section by public school districts; and 3
83	82		(2) Prepare and submit an annual compliance report to the 4
84	83		Secretary of the Department of Education based on information collected under 5
85	84		subdivision (f)(1) of this section that shall: 6
86	85		(A) Identify each public school district found to be in 7
87	86		violation of this section; and 8
88	87		(B) Explain the basis for determining a public school 9
89	88		district is in violation of this section. 10
90	89		(g)(1) Each public high school shall inform all students in grades ten 11
91	90		through twelve (10-12) of opportunities to receive direct military forces 12
92	91		recruiter engagement and information about educational and career 13
93	92		opportunities available in the military forces. 14
94	93		(2) The information required under subdivision (g)(1) of this 15
95	94		section shall be provided electronically and through a student advisory or 16
96	95		homeroom session or class period. 17
97	96		(h) As used in this section: 18
98	97		(1) "Access" means the ability of military forces recruiters to: 19
99	98		(A) Engage with all students in grades ten through twelve 20
100	99		(10-12) in an in-person setting during normal school hours and at events that 21
101	100		are open to the public and outside of normal school hours; 22
102	101		(B) Present career and educational opportunities to 23
103	102		students in the same manner and under the same conditions as prospective 24
104	103		employers, institutions of higher education, career entities, educational 25
105	104		entities, and occupational entities; and 26
106	105		(C) Collect and distribute information, sign up students 27
107	106		for further engagement, and schedule follow -up meetings to the same extent as 28
108	107		prospective employers, institutions of higher education, career entities, 29
109	108		educational entities, and occupational entities; and 30
110	109		(2) "Military forces" means the Arkansas National Guard, United 31
111	110		States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States 32
112	111		Air Force, United States Space Force, United States Coast Guard, and the 33
113	112		federal reserve components of each of the federal bodies. 34
114	113		35
115	114		SECTION 2. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 50, Subchapter 1, is amended 36 HB1689
116	115
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118	117		to add an additional section to read as follows: 1
119	118		6-50-107. Access of military forces recruiter to career and precollege 2
120	119		academies and secondary career and technical centers — Definition. 3
121	120		(a) A state-supported career academy, precollege academy, secondary 4
122	121		career center, or technical center shall permit access to official recruiting 5
123	122		representatives of the military forces to enable those representatives to 6
124	123		inform students enrolled in the state -supported career academy, precollege 7
125	124		academy, secondary career center, or technical center of educational and 8
126	125		career opportunities available in the military forces. 9
127	126		(b) As used in this section, "military forces" means the Arkansas 10
128	127		National Guard, United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States 11
129	128		Navy, United States Air Force, United States Space Force, United States Coast 12
130	129		Guard, and the federal reserve components of each of the federal bodies. 13
131	130		14
132	131		SECTION 3. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 61, Subchapter 1, is amended 15
133	132		to add an additional section to read as follows: 16
134	133		6-61-144. Access of military recruiter to postsecondary institution 17
135	134		facilities — Definition. 18
136	135		(a) A state-supported institution of higher education shall permit 19
137	136		access to official recruiting representatives of the military forces to 20
138	137		enable those representatives to inform students enrolled in the state -21
139	138		supported institution of higher education of educational and career 22
140	139		opportunities available in the military. 23
141	140		(b) As used in this section, "military forces" means the Arkansas 24
142	141		National Guard, United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States 25
143	142		Navy, United States Air Force, United States Space Force, United States Coast 26
144	143		Guard, and the federal reserve components of each of the federal bodies. 27
145	144		28
146	145		29
147		-	~~APPROVED: 3/20/25~~ 30
	146	+	30
148	147		31
149	148		32
150	149		33
151	150		34
152	151		35
153	152		36