[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6066761,"mediaKeyId","3155521-146eccb78dbc5bb3d6a1a5997d7ed2c3","parentId",3155521,"title","Committee advances bill to align local DEI policies with state rules after heated public comment","audioSeconds",285,"startMs",75000,"endMs",360000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3155521-146eccb78dbc5bb3d6a1a5997d7ed2c3&start=75&end=360","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3155521-146eccb78dbc5bb3d6a1a5997d7ed2c3/thumbnail_75000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6066761/Arkansas/Committee-advances-bill-to-align-local-DEI-policies-with-state-rules-after-heated-public-comment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066761-c9cd13f7c4f9d1ed14313b3de2cb58be/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138002&Signature=F5ruH1sg0GF2TxQVwCuUcGDRs62IK7l-dlCYD~cQxbVXLEsiWAtlAlR0jJBHzTpccjfTyud-o3glM9Blotz51h-JHht97PI2e2jlx~pefY57ETMkz6fPxlhg-40HLFcfuoNRQ3OLf6qJ8DCf4Pko3CkfioqU9NzaIKQWcKE3n012op9uD~pFnWpd1Grz~SPPP8C3jO8wBUhCwfjDAGifTGhFLp2nBqGBRXnMy9C2Mubr9DWYLv49xpaaXU4Fndqdgh~dqsQ9BlWkauc7szGepfH54fSkvAwU6g4pu7hObANVGP34luttnf4XnIO7LmFoA5P-zxje2V0fYT~8sqfgxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arkansas State Legislature","date","2025-04-09T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Lisonbee Brown, sponsor of Senate Bill 520, told the committee the measure aligns local government DEI policies with state law and is intended to ensure fairness and prevent discrimination.

Public testimony against the bill included Bill Kopski, director of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, who described long-standing disparities in income, education and health by race and gender and said local DEI committees were meant to identify gaps and craft solutions. Kopski called the proposal “egregious,” saying it would remove local authority to study and remedy inequities. Darlene Wiley and Catherine Scott Wiley, both residents, urged the committee to preserve local control and warned the bill would disenfranchise people of color and women.

Sponsor’s position: Representative Brown said SB 520 “prevents government programs from treating people differently because of their race, religion or ethnicity,” and that actual discrimination remains illegal under federal and state civil-rights law. She characterized the bill as a consistency measure to align municipalities with state universities and state-level policy.

Opposition and questions from committee members emphasized local control. Representative McCullough and Representative Shepherd said municipalities vary across the state and local elected officials should be able to set policies responding to local conditions; both asked to be recorded opposed. Committee members also pressed whether associations speaking for municipalities had contacted every municipality; the sponsor said she had not personally contacted every locality but relied on municipal-league feedback.

Outcome: Committee accepted the motion to pass the bill by voice vote. The transcript records sustained public opposition during the hearing and several committee members recorded dissent in discussion, but the chair announced approval.

Context: Testimony tied the debate to broader questions about the state’s role in setting standards that affect local hiring, board appointments and municipal programs. The bill’s sponsor and supporters framed it as prevention of discriminatory treatment; opponents framed it as a pre-emptive prohibition that would limit local governments’ ability to identify and close gaps in outcomes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House City, County - Local Affairs Committee Meeting - Apr 9, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","SB 520 would align local municipal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies with state-level rules. The bill’s sponsor said it prevents differential treatment; opponents at the hearing, including civil-rights advocates and residents, argued the measure would bar local efforts to identify and address disparities.","taxTitle","CITY, COUNTY & LOCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE- HOUSE, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas","taxId",16868,"location","Arkansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6066765,"Committee passes multiple local-government bills; several measures debated in detail",160,10000,170000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3155521-146eccb78dbc5bb3d6a1a5997d7ed2c3&start=10&end=170","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3155521-146eccb78dbc5bb3d6a1a5997d7ed2c3/thumbnail_10000.jpg","/articles/6066765/Arkansas/Committee-passes-multiple-local-government-bills-several-measures-debated-in-detail","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066765-00c121e5026cbdf46477529474c158de/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138002&Signature=QgpAOJMNDS-Q1uGKk3UepfnjBOdSZ6BHZb~b1Mos0837JSoMW1CRFhEr4WF8Vlb5qBS2VmO~XGBWL305NupHvr-kaEkRG-x26dNkeokUgereFfwltWXCSyj11bnwNe4wt4DU~W-2QGLK37bWr48EQ7lHdd2TuN6woplrvYrHXKbnCbRjRWc1hG9ms1pgeGUcW~GXB3QEA0yzolGa4WtSd5~I2KakHtkz3IRy7Vy9Poe-Oh09V~-qdT4cavDr4AVvJXLYT7717ajM1wYvPmLrISQba5tNgvWcAYYr9R~E9T-PDIIwzLels9hJbB5TTkVIrjLVWyDq0jYG-nixVM14Bg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House City, County & Local Affairs Committee on an October hearing advanced several bills affecting local governments, clarified which building codes apply to county property inside city limits, and approved a measure to require photo identification when recording deeds as a deterrent to property fraud.

The committee voted to approve multiple bills during the hearing. Measures receiving favorable committee action included HB 1995 (separating Perry County tax-collector and sheriff duties), SB 571 (clarifying whether county or municipal building codes apply to county-owned property within a municipality), SB 574 (clarifying county access to municipal utilities and related connections), SB 580 (extending certain rural fire program loan terms), HB 1991 (amendment to state fire code for large-acreage subdivisions — see separate article for full discussion), and SB 406 (requiring identification for deed recordation).

Why it matters: collectively the bills affect local authority over infrastructure and development, public-safety processes, and how county and municipal governments interact where their boundaries overlap. SB 406 responds to national trends in deed-fraud schemes by creating a recorded audit trail; HB 1991 and related fire-code debates raised safety and rural-development trade-offs.

Votes at a glance (committee outcomes):
- HB 1995 — Motion to pass made by sponsor; ayes recorded; bill passed by the committee (no detailed tally in record).
- SB 520 — Motion to pass made and approved (see separate article that follows for full debate and public testimony).
- SB 571 (as amended) — Amendment adopted; motion to pass as amended carried; bill passed in committee.
- SB 574 — Motion to pass; committee approved the bill.
- SB 580 — Motion to pass; committee approved the bill.
- HB 1991 — Motion to pass; committee approved; substantive opposition and questions recorded (see separate article).
- SB 406 — Motion to pass; committee approved. The bill requires a valid photo ID for grantors or those signing for grantors when recording deeds, with certain professional and agency exemptions.

What did not advance: a senate-filed incorporation measure (Senate Bill 525 as amended in committee) was amended during the session; the amendment was adopted but the transcript shows no subsequent committee motion to pass the bill and no committee vote to advance it. The chairman later indicated the measure had not received a motion and did not move forward during this hearing.

The committee heard multiple public commenters on several items (notably SB 520 and HB 1991). Several bills were described by sponsors as clarifications of long-standing practice; some county and municipal representatives said the changes codify existing practice, while others cautioned about unintended consequences for cities' planning or public-safety roles.

The committee adjourned after approving the listed measures; several items will proceed to the next legislative step.","The House City, County & Local Affairs Committee advanced several bills including measures on separating county offices, municipal building-code clarity, utility access and anti-fraud recording rules. Some items drew extended debate or public comment; one incorporation measure was amended but received no committee motion.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances bill to align local DEI policies with state rules after heated public comment

Committee passes multiple local-government bills; several measures debated in detail