Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2023 SENATE BILL 56
4
5 By: Senator Hill
6 By: Representative Wardlaw
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO REGULATE THE USE OF SOCIAL CREDIT SCORES
10 BASED ON ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL JUSTICE, OR GOVERNANCE
11 SCORES OR METRICS; TO PROHIBIT A STATE AGENCY FROM
12 ENGAGING IN DISCRIMINATION BASED ON THE USE OF A
13 SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEM; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
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15
16 Subtitle
17 TO REGULATE THE USE OF SOCIAL CREDIT
18 SCORES BASED ON ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL
19 JUSTICE, OR GOVERNANCE SCORES OR METRICS;
20 AND TO PROHIBIT A STATE AGENCY FROM
21 ENGAGING IN DISCRIMINATION BASED ON THE
22 USE OF A SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEM.
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24
25 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
26
27 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 25, Chapter 1, is amended to add an
28 additional subchapter to read as follows:
29 Subchapter 10 — Environmental, Social Justice, or Governance Scores or
30 Metrics
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32 25-1-1001. Legislative intent.
33 (a) The General Assembly finds that:
34 (1) The fossil fuel, firearm, and ammunition industries:
35 (A) Produce consumer-ready resources;
36 (B) Create thousands of jobs for Arkansas' workforce; and
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 SB56
1 (C) Remain committed to the safety of Arkansas communities
2 and the preservation of the environment;
3 (2) The fossil fuel, firearm, and ammunition industries have
4 been discriminated against at the national level;
5 (3) In order to be successful in the fossil fuel, firearm, and
6 ammunition industries, these businesses rely on the provision of Arkansas
7 goods and services;
8 (4) Federal and state regulators are using their regulatory
9 power over the banking and financial systems to drive political agendas which
10 distort limited government, free market, and free speech principles;
11 (5) Rulemaking, regardless of asset thresholds, has a real risk
12 of impacting smaller financial institutions; and
13 (6) Certain states are interfering in the free market by
14 encouraging or discouraging lending to politically favored or disfavored
15 industries to the detriment of taxpayers.
16 (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly that a state agency shall
17 refrain from enacting rules or issuing guidance that restricts the ability of
18 a business in this state to offer products or services to the fossil fuel,
19 firearm, or ammunition industries.
20
21 25-1-1002. Social credit score or other environmental, social justice,
22 or governance score or metric — Prohibited use — Definition.
23 (a) As used in this section, "state agency" means an office, board,
24 commission, department, council, bureau, governmental entity, or other agency
25 of state government having authority to promulgate or enforce rules.
26 (b) A state agency shall not share information, adopt laws, promulgate
27 rules, or issue guidance that restricts the ability of a business to offer
28 products or services to the fossil fuel industry, firearm manufacturer and
29 retailers of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition for purposes of a
30 social credit system.
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