Weekly-ISH | June 17, 2026: Internet Safety, the Legislative Council, and SREB
Updated: 1 day ago
June is National Internet Safety Month. The data tells us why it matters.
Keeping Arkansas Kids Safe Online
June is National Internet Safety Month. For most families that probably registers as background noise. It shouldn't. Protecting kids today means protecting them in the digital spaces they live in every day, not just the physical ones.
The internet is an extraordinary tool for learning and connection. It is also where predators operate. According to the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the summer months and the start of the school year consistently bring some of the largest spikes in online enticement cases involving children. The timing is not random. Kids have more unsupervised screen time, and the people who target them know it.
The latest ICAC data shows both progress and a hard reality. Online enticement cases involving intent to travel dropped significantly year over year, which is genuinely good news. But reports involving child sexual abuse material jumped nearly 30 percent, and investigators saw an increase in suicide-related threats involving minors online. Technology moves fast. The need to pay attention does not change.
Recent case data from the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, June 2026.
The General Assembly has acted on this. During the 2025 Regular Session, we passed legislation to strengthen online protections for minors, including measures on privacy defaults, addictive social media features, and the role algorithms play in pushing harmful content to young users. Those laws are currently tied up in court, and implementation is paused while the legal process plays out. I think the laws are sound and I expect them to hold up, but that fight is not finished.
Here is the part no statute can handle: no law replaces an engaged parent. The State Police recommend families talk regularly about internet use, review privacy settings together, use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication, and make sure kids understand how AI and social media shape what they see. Simple steps. They work. National Internet Safety Month is a good reason to take them this week instead of meaning to get around to it.
What the Legislative Council Actually Does
The work doesn't stop when session ends. It just moves to committee.
Legislators gather for committee work during the interim.
People assume the legislature goes quiet between sessions. It doesn't. Much of the real oversight work happens in the interim, and the body that runs it is the Arkansas Legislative Council.
Created by Act 264 of 1949, the ALC is the legislature's interim engine. It is made up of 36 regular members, 20 from the House and 16 from the Senate, plus a slate of ex-officio members. In plain terms, it does three things. It oversees the Bureau of Legislative Research, the nonpartisan staff that drafts our bills and runs our numbers. It coordinates the interim committees that study issues before they ever become legislation. And it provides ongoing oversight of the executive branch, reviewing agency spending, administrative rules, contracts, and litigation reports while we are out of session.
The net effect of these week-long interim meetings is straightforward: state government stays accountable year-round, not just during the months we are formally in session. Agencies answer questions. Rules get reviewed before they take effect. Spending gets a second look. By the time the next session gavels in, the groundwork is already laid. It is not glamorous work and it rarely makes the news, but it is where a lot of the substance happens. I would rather we catch a problem in a June subcommittee than discover it after it has cost taxpayers money.
Representing Arkansas at the SREB Annual Meeting
This week I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Annual Meeting of the Board and Legislative Work Conference of the Southern Regional Education Board. It has been a genuinely useful few days. The states represented here are wrestling with the same questions Arkansas is: how to improve student outcomes, control the cost of higher education, and prepare kids for a workforce that keeps changing under our feet.
The Southern Regional Education Board Annual Meeting and Legislative Work Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Seeing how other states approach problems we are working through at home is worth the trip. Some of it confirms we are on the right track. Some of it gives me ideas worth bringing back. It was a pleasure to represent Arkansas, and I look forward to putting what I learned to work improving outcomes for students in the Natural State.
Clips Worth Reading
Testing, One, Two, Three: Getting the Kids Up to Speed (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Editorial Board): a clear-eyed look at the LEARNS third-grade reading requirement and why it is producing a real sense of urgency in schools. Reading is the key to the whole kingdom, and this is money well spent. Read it and form your own view.
Commission Approves Arkansas Electric Rate Changes: the Public Service Commission signs off on changes affecting Arkansas ratepayers. What it means for your bill.
Educational Freedom Account Applications Total Released: new numbers on EFA enrollment show where the program stands as it continues to expand statewide.
Small Arkansas Towns Risk Losing Charters Amid Fiscal Trouble: several small Arkansas municipalities face the loss of their charters as financial pressures mount.
Arkansas School Districts Allowing Hundreds of Transfers: school choice transfers continue to reshape enrollment across Arkansas districts. The latest figures.
