AR SB358

Repeals affirmative action program requirements for state-supported institutions of higher education, including mandates for recruitment plans, annual summary reports, and five-year affirmative action plans for faculty, staff, and student enrollment

Formally codifies the Arkansas Research Education and Optical Network (ARE-ON) as a state entity, establishing a seven-member board of directors chaired by the University of Arkansas system president to govern the high-speed fiber-based communications network serving higher education and healthcare institutions

Repeals the Arkansas Energy Summary and Report requirement and the Institutional Energy Research Committee that coordinated energy research across state-supported institutions

Eliminates the requirement for higher education institutions within a 25-mile radius to enter written agreements addressing duplication of services, and removes remediation cost reporting requirements from the Comprehensive Arkansas Higher Education Annual Report

Expands construction project exemptions to all state-supported two-year colleges for projects exceeding $5 million, and modifies personnel and leave policy provisions to apply uniform attendance rules to state-supported institutions of higher education