HB1957 Summary: Arkansas Elected Official Accountability Act of 2019

• Creates a mandatory drug screening and testing program for all elected officials in Arkansas, administered by the Arkansas Ethics Commission in coordination with the Department of Human Services.

• Requires at least one random drug test per year for each elected official and establishes suspicion-based testing when reasonable cause exists; refusal to test results in loss of compensation for 6 months.

• Tests for marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, opiates, and other substances the Ethics Commission defines by rule; officials with valid prescriptions or medical marijuana registry cards are exempt from compensation denial.

• Elected officials who test positive must enter treatment and undergo a five-panel confirmation test; positive results or treatment refusal result in 6-month loss of compensation; elected officials pay test costs if they test positive or refuse.

• All drug test information is confidential and exempt from public disclosure, except positive results must be reported to prosecuting attorneys and Arkansas State Police; program implementation required by February 1, 2020.