§ 6-18-1706 - International student exchange visitor placement organization -- Registration. - Arkansas Statutes

6-18-1706. International student exchange visitor placement organization -- Registration.

(a) (1) (A) Beginning January 1, 2010, for the 2010-2011 school year, an international student exchange visitor placement organization that proposes to place a foreign exchange student in a public or private school in this state shall submit an application for a certificate of registration with the Secretary of State by January 1 immediately preceding the next regular school year in which the organization proposes to place a foreign exchange student.

(B) The Secretary of State shall issue a certificate of registration to the organization by February 1 if the application is in order, otherwise the application shall be returned to the organization with resubmission instructions.

(2) (A) For the purpose of service of process and service of notices, an international student exchange visitor placement organization shall provide the name, address, and telephone number of an officer or employee of the organization authorized to receive and accept service of process and service of notices.

(B) If service of process and service of notices cannot be reasonably given to the officer as provided by the organization, service of process and service of notices shall be effected by service upon the Secretary of State who shall make a reasonable effort to contact and provide any process and notices to the organization.

(b) An application for registration as an international student exchange visitor placement organization shall be submitted in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State. The application shall include:

(1) The name, address, and telephone number of the organization, its chief executive officer, and the person within the organization who has primary responsibility for supervising placements within the state;

(2) The organization's unified business identification number, if any;

(3) Evidence of Council on Standards for International Educational Travel listing, if any;

(4) The organization's federal income tax exemption status;

(5) A statement of compliance declaring that all monetary and nonmonetary compensation paid to employees who are residents of Arkansas has been reported in accordance with current state income tax law;

(6) A list of the organization's placements in Arkansas for the previous academic year, including the number of students placed, their home countries, the school districts in which they were placed if placed in a public school or the private schools in which they were placed, and the length of time of their placements;

(7) The organization's most recent brochure describing its programs;

(8) Evidence of the organization's health and accident insurance;

(9) The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the organization's local representatives for Arkansas; and

(10) Any other information the Secretary of State determines is necessary for his or her examination of the request by the organization.

(c) The application must be signed by the chief executive officer of the organization and the person within the organization who has primary responsibility for supervising placements within Arkansas.

(d) Organizations that have registered shall inform the Secretary of State of any changes in the information required under subsection (b) of this section within thirty (30) days of the change.

(e) (1) Registration is valid for one (1) year and may be renewed annually.

(2) Organizations registering for the first time in Arkansas must pay an initial registration fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150).

(3) The fee to renew a registration is fifty dollars ($50) per year.

(f) Fees collected by the Secretary of State under this section shall be deposited into the State Treasury and credited to the General Revenue Fund.

(g) The information provided the Secretary of State under this section is a public record and shall be open to inspection and copying by any citizen of the State of Arkansas during the regular business hours of the Secretary of State's office.

(h) Registration shall not be considered or be represented as an endorsement of the organization by the Secretary of State or the State of Arkansas.

(i) (1) Only an international student exchange visitor placement organization for students from other countries to attend a public or private school approved by the United States Department of State may be considered for registration.

(2) Only an international student exchange visitor placement organization on the Advisory List of the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel may be considered for registration.

(j) An international student exchange visitor placement organization shall have a local representative who lives within one hundred twenty (120) miles of his or her assigned students.

(k) (1) An international student exchange visitor placement organization shall not place a foreign exchange student in a home or seek admission of a student in a public or private school until the international student exchange visitor placement organization has been registered with the Secretary of State for that school year.

(2) Each year, the Secretary of State shall publish a list of international student exchange visitor placement organizations registered to place foreign exchange students in host homes.

(3) Unless the Secretary of State determines that an application for registration does not comply with the filing requirements of this chapter, the Secretary of State, upon payment of all filing fees, shall file the application, prepare, sign, and file a certificate of registration, and send a copy of the filed certificate of registration with a receipt for the fees to the organization.