Take Action — Support Arkansas Pension Transparency

Join Arkansans supporting pension transparency and fiduciary accountability. Here's how you can help.

Every Arkansan whose retirement is managed by a state pension fund has a stake in how that money is invested. The 2027 Arkansas legislative session is the place to fix the gap our FOIA records exposed — and that takes legislators hearing from constituents. Here’s how you can help.

5 Minutes

Sign on in support

We’re building a list of Arkansans — educators, public employees, retirees, and concerned taxpayers — who believe pension investments should be based solely on financial merit, with documented due diligence on the record.

Add your name by emailing info@arpensions.org with your name, city, and why you care.

30 Minutes

Contact your legislators

The 2027 Arkansas legislative session is an opportunity to establish stronger pension transparency requirements through the Pension Investment Transparency Act. Three concrete actions map cleanly to legislator action.

Text RESIST to 50409 to reach your Arkansas state legislators through Resistbot, or find your legislators at arkleg.state.ar.us. Ask them to:

  1. Enact the Pension Investment Transparency Act in the 2027 Regular Session — issuer-neutral legislation requiring, for any acquisition of non-tradable sovereign debt by an Arkansas pension benefit plan: an independent credit analysis before the purchase; a written comparison of risk, return, and liquidity against comparable fixed-income alternatives; disclosure of liquidity characteristics in board materials before a vote; a written fiduciary determination that the investment satisfies Act 498’s pecuniary-factors standard; and public posting of the analysis within 30 days of the investment.

  2. Direct the Joint Interim Committee on Public Retirement and Social Security Programs to exercise its A.C.A. § 10-3-703(c) authority and study whether current pension investment practices comply with Act 498 of 2023 — including whether documented, independent credit analyses were prepared before recent acquisitions of non-tradable sovereign debt by Arkansas pension benefit plans.

  3. Encourage pension benefit plan fiduciaries, as a matter of board policy pending legislative action, to obtain and publicly disclose independent credit analyses before authorizing any new acquisition of non-tradable sovereign debt — consistent with the fiduciary obligations established by Act 498 of 2023 and the prudent investor rule (A.C.A. §§ 24-2-610–619).

Six Arkansas pension benefit plans fall within Act 498’s scope (§ 24-2-802(3)): ATRS, APERS, ASHERS, ASPRS, AJRS, and LOPFI. PITA applies issuer-neutral procedural standards to non-tradable sovereign debt acquisitions by any of these plans.

Why legislation, not board pressure. API does not ask pension boards to buy or sell any specific investment. Boards already operate under Arkansas’s pecuniary-factors standard (Act 498 of 2023). What the public record shows is that the procedural specificity behind that standard — the independent credit analysis, consultant independence, and documented rationale — was missing for a $50 million authorization. The fix belongs at the legislature, not at the trustees’ table.

Letter template. Copy, edit, and send to your state representative and senator:

Dear [Representative/Senator],

As an Arkansan whose retirement is managed by a state pension fund, I’m writing to ask you to support the Pension Investment Transparency Act in the 2027 legislative session. This legislation would require independent credit analysis before pension funds commit to non-tradable sovereign debt, ensuring investment decisions are based on financial merit.

Our pension funds authorized up to $100 million in non-tradable foreign sovereign bonds without producing a single independent credit analysis. The Pension Investment Transparency Act would close this gap by requiring the same documented due diligence for sovereign debt that already applies to other investment classes.

This is not a partisan issue. Sound fiduciary standards protect every Arkansan whose retirement depends on these funds.

Sincerely, [Your name, city]

Ongoing

Attend a board meeting

Pension board meetings are open to the public under Arkansas law. Attending is one of the most direct ways to learn how investment decisions get documented and what the public record looks like as it’s being made — useful background for the legislative case.

ATRS Board Meetings

  • Location: ATRS Board Room, 1400 W. Third St., Little Rock
  • Upcoming 2026 dates: Check the ATRS Board Calendar for the current schedule
  • Public comment: Contact Board Secretary Tammy Porter at tammyp@artrs.gov to sign up ahead of the meeting

APERS Board Meetings

  • Location: APERS Office, 124 W. Capitol Ave., Little Rock
  • Upcoming 2026 dates: Check apers.org for the current board meeting schedule
  • Public comment: Contact the Executive Director’s office at APERS@arkansas.gov for sign-up details

If you attend. Listen for how investment decisions are documented and analyzed on the record. Take notes on the process. The Pension Investment Transparency Act is about strengthening that record-making — your observations help make the case to legislators.

Volunteer

We need Arkansans across the state — especially educators and public employees — to help build this campaign toward the 2027 session. There are roles for every skill level and time commitment:

  • Research and FOIA — Help analyze public records and file information requests
  • Outreach — Talk to coworkers, attend community events, connect with local organizations
  • Communications — Help with writing, social media, and media outreach
  • Legislative advocacy — Contact and meet with legislators ahead of the 2027 session

Email info@arpensions.org to get started.