Arkansas Public Records Info
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The first Arkansas public records law, the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was passed in 1967 (Act 93) with amendments made in the years following as needed to define the law.
According to the FOIA, public records are "a record of the performance or lack of performance of official functions which are or should be carried out by a public official or employee, a governmental agency, or any other agency wholly or partially supported by public funds or expending public funds." This includes documents, recordings (films, tapes, or CD's), data in any form required to be kept by public offices or public employees.
"All public records (except those with specific exemptions) shall be open to inspection and copying by any citizen of the State of Arkansas during the regular business hours of the custodian of the records." ยง 25-19-105 Records in active use or unavailable in storage do not have to be supplied right away, but have a three day limit on a notification of availability.
Exemptions to available public records include:
- State income tax records.
- Grand jury minutes.
- Drafts of judicial opinions, unpublished.
- Ongoing investigations by law enforcement agencies.
- Identity of law enforcement officers currently working undercover.
- Closed court documents.
- Any documents that would be an invasion of privacy, such as personnel records, student records, medical records, and adoption records.
A Brief History of Arkansas
Arkansas is one of several U.S. states formed from the territory exchanged in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In 1819, The Territory of Arkansas was organized and in 1836, the State of Arkansas was admitted into the Union as the 25th state.
Early American settlement included slavery and agriculture- the strongest region of this being the delta area with cotton plantations. When the civil war hit, Arkansas refused to join the confederacy, but finally did so in 1861. After the Reconstruction, the immigrant population diversified to include Chinese, Italian and Syrian and even Eastern European peoples. They did not remain as farm labor for long, finding their own routes to success and their presence made the Arkansas Delta area one of the most ethnically diverse in the country at the time.
Today, the state's GDP is around $80 Billion. The state's agriculture outputs are poultry and eggs, soybeans, sorghum, cattle, cotton, rice, hogs, and milk. Its industrial outputs are food processing, electric equipment, fabricated metal products, machinery, paper products, bromine, and vanadium. Several global companies are headquartered in Arkansas, including Wal-Mart, J.B. Hunt and Tyson Foods.
Tourism is also very important to the Arkansas economy.
Fast Facts:
- Capital City:
- Biggest City:
- Population:
- State Bird:
- State Flower:
- State Tree:
- Nickname:
- Little Rock
- Little Rock
- 686,293 (2008)
- Mocking Bird
- Apple Blossom
- Pine
- The Natural State
Arkansas Government Records
Legislative Branch
Arkansas Judicial Branch:
- Administrative Office of the Courts
- Judiciary Announcements and Opinions
- Court of Appeals
- Supreme Court
Arkansas Executive Branch:
- Attorney General
- Governor
- Land Commissioner
- Lt. Governor
- Secretary of State
- State Auditor
- State Treasurer
Governor
State Capitol, Room 250
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-682-2345
Lt. Governor
State Capitol, Room 270
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-682-2144
Secretary of State
State Capitol, Room 256
Little Rock, AR 72201-1094
501-682-1010
Land Commissioner
109 State Capitol
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-324-9222
Treasurer
State Capitol, Room 220
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-682-3835
Attorney General
323 Center Street, Suite 200
Little Rock, AR 72201
1-800-482-8982
Auditor
230 State Capitol
Little Rock, AR 72201-1096
501-682-6030
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