Arkansas Citizens For Transparency
Arkansas Government Disclosure Amendment and Act
The proposed constitutional amendment would enshrine the right to government transparency in the Arkansas Constitution. It defines “government transparency” as the government’s obligation to share information with citizens or deliver information to them.
The amendment restricts the General Assembly’s ability to pass laws concerning transparency, requiring a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to refer any such law to voters. It also confirms citizens can sue the state for failing to comply with transparency laws.
The accompanying initiated act contains several provisions aimed at strengthening the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It repeals a recent law allowing school boards to meet secretly, defines key transparency terms, exempts certain personal records from FOIA, requires public meetings to allow public attendance and input, mandates deadlines for responding to record requests, creates an enforcement commission, and clarifies policies around security records for officials.
About Arkansas Citizens for Transparency
Arkansas Citizens for Transparency is a nonpartisan coalition
working to protect our state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The coalition is working to get a Constitutional Amendment and an Initiated Act on the November 2024 ballot to protect every citizen’s right to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent.
The Arkansas Government Disclosure Amendment of 2024 and the Arkansas Government Disclosure Act of 2024 accomplish these three things to preserve government transparency:
- Clearly establish citizen access to our government meetings, records and notices as a constitutionally protected right.
- Establish that the legislature may not change any law that affects transparency without a 2/3 vote in the House and the Senate to refer the question to the vote of the people in the next General Election.
- Increase sanctions for those who willfully violate the rights protected by the amendment.