SB614

Senate Bill 614 amends the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act regarding governing body meetings and bond issuance. It establishes that if a court finds a violation of open meeting requirements concerning bond authorization, the court may only invalidate that action if the challenge occurs within thirty days. If a violation is found after this thirty-day window, the governing body must cure the violation through public notice, disclosure at a public meeting, and re-authorization of the action. Alternatively, the bill mandates a one-thousand-dollar civil penalty per individual member responsible for the violation, which must be paid personally rather than through public funds. These remedies are intended to be supplemental to existing legal remedies under the Freedom of Information Act. The effectiveness of this bill is contingent upon the enactment of SB227 of the 2025 Regular Session.