TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS CYBERSECURITY ACT OF 2025.

HB 1549, now Act 489, requires Arkansas state agencies to organize cybersecurity personnel under a "functional report" structure, meaning cybersecurity staff must directly report to the State Cybersecurity Office. This affects all state agency employees with cybersecurity or information security duties, including those handling threat monitoring, incident response, and compliance. The law sets statewide minimum cybersecurity standards that agencies can exceed but not lower, while mandating that federal standards override state rules when stricter. It clarifies that agencies must follow these reporting and standards requirements without accessing data protected by other laws.