The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act or FOIA has been mostly unchanged since it was signed in 1967 by Governor Winthrop Rockefeller.
Our FOIA law is one of the strongest in the country. The law allows any Arkansas resident to access most records of government business. There are exceptions for privacy and public safety. For example, a resident can't FOIA a state employee's social security number, or an ongoing police investigation.
The state FOIA law was slightly watered down in 2023. Then, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders tried to gut the law, citing dubious claims about its power. Her attempt was wildly unpopular. Over a three day special session, different drafts of a FOIA bill made less and less change to state FOIA law. Eventually lawmakers in favor of gutting FOIA conceded defeat.
The law they did pass only made minor changes to FOIA limiting residents from looking up the governor's travel schedule. A reporter had previously FOIAed Sanders travel information sparking criticism about her trips overseas.
From Little Rock, I am Politics and Government Reporter Josie Lenora, This has been a Arkansas Civic Minute.