Arkansas § 10-2-129 - Drafting and information requests to legislative employees — Definitions.

§ 10-2-129. Drafting and information requests to legislative employees — Definitions.

As used in this section: “Legislative employee” means an employee of the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Bureau of Legislative Research, Arkansas Legislative Audit, and the Arkansas Code Revision Commission; and “Legislator” means any member of the General Assembly or a member-elect of the General Assembly. A drafting request or information request made to a legislative employee by or on behalf of a legislator is confidential. The identity of the legislator making the request, except to the extent necessary to fulfill the request, and the existence of the request shall not be revealed to any person who is not a legislative employee without the consent of the legislator. Any supporting documents submitted or caused to be submitted to a legislative employee by a legislator in connection with a drafting or information request are confidential. Except to the extent necessary to fulfill the request, the document, copies of the document, or the identity of the person, firm, or association producing it shall not be provided to any person who is not a legislative employee without the consent of the legislator. Unless made public by the legislator, a drafting request, information request, supporting documents, and the drafts or the work product for a drafting request or information request are not public records under § 25-19-103. The Legislative Council may authorize the staff of the bureau to provide assistance to state agencies and constitutional officers in preparing legislation. If the Legislative Council authorizes the staff of the bureau to provide assistance to state agencies and constitutional officers in preparing legislation, the request, supporting documents, working papers, and drafts in the possession of the bureau are confidential and are not public records under § 25-19-103. Nothing in this section prohibits a legislative employee from working on similar or identical drafting requests or information requests from more than one (1) legislator.