HB1951

This bill mandates that public higher education institutions, municipal governments, and state agencies in Arkansas use specific, verified domain extensions for their official websites and email addresses. Specifically, public colleges must use the '.edu' domain, while state agencies and municipal governments are required to use '.gov' or '.mil' domains. The bill aims to increase digital security, prevent phishing, and enhance government accountability by ensuring the public can easily identify authentic government and institutional sites. It provides narrow exceptions for internal use, temporary projects, specific partnerships, and, in the case of universities, collegiate athletics. The legislation also establishes a waiver process for extraordinary circumstances where using these specific domains might cause public harm. Implementation is scheduled for June 1, 2026, for most entities, with a delayed deadline of January 1, 2027, for municipalities with populations under 10,000.