Bills Signed: HB1011, HB1169, HB1348, HB1649, HB1788


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – On Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the Governor signed into law:

HB1011, to require medicaid coverage and reimbursement for depression screening for pregnant women.
 
HB1169, an act for the Department of Agriculture – Arkansas Natural Resources Commission appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1348, to encourage the development of a state audit process concerning qualified payment amounts; and to authorize the state insurance department to develop a state audit process concerning qualified payment amounts.
 
HB1649, to amend the Arkansas student-athlete publicity rights act; and to declare an emergency.
 
HB1788, to amend the law concerning egg marketing; and to amend the Arkansas egg marketing act of 1969.
 
SB45, an act for the Department of Corrections – Arkansas Sentencing Commission appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1054, an act for the Arkansas Public Service Commission appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1170, an act for the Department of Education – Division of Elementary and Secondary Education – public school fund appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1385, to ensure that healthcare providers are properly reimbursed by the Arkansas medicaid program for providing long-acting reversible contraception immediately and during postpartum.
 
HB1650, concerning the sale of event tickets; to create the event ticketing and resale consumer protection act; and to declare an emergency.
 
HB1816, to amend the laws concerning the revised uniform unincorporated nonprofit association act.
 
SB49, an act for the Department of Veterans affairs appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1077, an act for the Department of Labor and Licensing – Division of Labor appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1173, to repeal the prohibition on licensing new psychological examiners.
 
HB1409, to adopt the uniform community property disposition at death act.
 
HB1662, to exempt the sale of veterinary drugs and medicine if based on a prescription of a licensed veterinarian from the licensure requirements for a pharmacist and a pharmacy; and to declare an emergency.
 
HB1827, to amend the Arkansas poultry feeding operations registration act; and to transfer duties from the arkansas natural resources commission to the department of agriculture.
 
SB55, an act for the Department of Human Services – Division of Children and Family Services appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1092, an act for the Department of Health appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1233, an act for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1449, to amend the law concerning lifetime licenses under the cosmetology act.
 
HB1675, to amend the law regarding farm mediation; and to amend the law concerning the initial mediation meeting.
 
SB15, an act for the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
  
SB86, to require the Department of Health to study and report on the status of naturopathic physicians in Arkansas and other states.
 
HB1093, an act for the Department of Education – Arkansas State Library appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1271, to amend the prior authorization transparency act; and to exempt certain healthcare providers that provide certain healthcare services from prior authorization requirements.
  
HB1676, to amend the law regarding certain diagnostic services and testing related to animals; to amend the law concerning livestock and poultry diagnostic services; and to amend the law concerning canine brucellosis.
 
SB16, an act for the Auditor of State – operations and unclaimed property program appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1095, an act for the Department of Public Safety – Division of Emergency Management appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1272, to amend the healthcare contracting simplification act; and to prohibit a healthcare insurer from leasing a healthcare contract or provider network.
 
HB1521, to create the criminal offense of disarming an officer.
 
HB1677, to amend the law regarding livestock; to amend the law regarding livestock running at large; to amend the law regarding fencing; and to repeal the law regarding fencing districts.
 
SB20, an act for the Department of Health – Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1132, an act for the Department of Education – Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1276, to exclude antipsychotic prescription drugs from step therapy.
 
HB1562, to amend the naloxone access act; to increase availability and accessibility of an opioid antagonist; and to declare an emergency.
 
HB1718, to create the Arkansas Legal Tender Act; and to reaffirm gold and silver coin as legal tender.
 
SB30, an act for the Department of Inspector General appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1140, an act for the Arkansas Department of Transportation appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1312, to establish the transportation benefit manager act; to regulate contracts of certain ambulance providers; and to regulate claims and prior authorization procedures for certain ambulance services.
 
HB1575, to create the Arkansas Reemployment Act.
 
HB1720, to amend the laws concerning legal tender; to prohibit the tracking of an individual through the use of digital currency except for limited circumstances; and to clarify the use of digital currency.
 
SB32, an act for the Department of Commerce appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1167, an act for the Department of Energy and Environment – Division of Environmental Quality appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
HB1313, to amend the exemptions of life insurance proceeds from actions by creditors and representatives.
 
HB1618, to transfer the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the state Plant Board regarding catfish processors and commercial bait and ornamental fish to the Department of Agriculture.
 
HB1776, to amend the law concerning ground ambulance services; and to establish a minimum allowable reimbursement for ground ambulance services.
 
SB33, an act for the Department of Commerce – Division of Workforce Services appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
SB86, to require the Department of Health to study and report on the status of naturopathic physicians in Arkansas and other states.
 
SB332, an act for the Department of Education – Division of Elementary and Secondary Education – after school and summer program grants for boys and girls clubs appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
SB392, an act to amend the law concerning body art; and to amend the law concerning the cosmetology technical advisory committee.
 
SB433, to abolish the Arkansas Geological Survey; to create the office of the state geologist and transfer the authority and duties of the Arkansas geological survey to the office; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB476, to create the rural veterinary student scholarship program; to create the agri scholarship program to be administered by the department of agriculture; and to create the agri scholarship program fund within the Department of Agriculture.
 
SB513, to amend the law concerning annual disclosures for the Secretary of State; to amend the law concerning name availability; and to amend the annual report requirements for certain business entities for the Secretary of State.
 
SB201, to amend the law regarding local option elections in defunct townships that resulted from initiated Act 1 of 1942.
 
SB336, an act for the Department of Health – Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
SB438, to amend the law concerning the issuance of a driver’s license to a military licensee.
 
SB481, to amend the law concerning the operation of an automated enforcement device.
 
SB517, to amend the No Patient Left Alone Act; and to set certain requirements regarding clergy member visitation.
 
SB299, to establish nursing earn-to-learn programs; and to authorize a nursing student to earn direct patient care clinical credit hours for working in a healthcare facility in certain jobs.
 
SB341, to amend the Commercial Driver Alcohol and Drug Testing Act to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations.
 
SB402, concerning the election of directors of a conservation district; and to amend the procedure for the election of a director of a conservation district.
 
SB446, to allow municipalities, counties, and other political subdivisions to state by resolution that they have a pro-life policy.
 
SB484, to modify the law concerning charitable organizations; to clarify contributions of charitable organizations; and to exclude certain bequests and testamentary distributions from trusts from contributions.
 
SB533, to amend the Local Government Bond Act of 1985; and to amend the definition of “capital improvements of a public nature” to include cemetery facilities and apparatus.
 
SB300, to create a data repository to collect, report, track, and trend data regarding nursing education and nursing workforces in Arkansas.
 
SB345, to create the position of dementia services coordinator within the Department of Human Services.
 
SB403, to consolidate agriculture boards and commissions; to abolish certain boards within the department of agriculture; to transfer the duties of certain boards within the department of agriculture; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB452, to amend the Arkansas Family Planning Act; and to modify the legislative declaration within the Arkansas Family Planning Act.
 
SB485, to amend acts 2023, no. 264; and to amend the law concerning the offenses of theft of a catalytic converter and unauthorized possession of a catalytic converter.
 
SB536, to amend the Arkansas Affordable Energy Act; and to amend the law regarding retirement review.
 
SB302, to create the clinical nurse education portal.
 
SB366, amending the law concerning violent felony offenses for purposes of parole; and to clarify that residential burglary is considered a violent felony for offenses committed on or after April 1, 2015.
    
SB406, to amend the law concerning extended juvenile jurisdiction designation under the Arkansas juvenile code of 1989.
 
SB454, concerning public utility contracts for interruptible service.
 
SB492, to allow for an alternative to the requirement for notarization of requests for adult and long-term care facility resident maltreatment registry checks and child maltreatment registry checks; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB306, to amend the asset limits for the supplemental nutrition assistance program; and to direct the department of human services to request a broad-based categorical eligibility waiver.
 
SB372, regarding alcoholic beverages; and to amend the law related to additional products sold by the holder of a liquor permit.
 
SB407, to require energy produced from certain sources be considered carbon neutral; and to require energy produced from certain sources in conjunction with carbon capture technologies be considered carbon negative.
  
SB463, to amend the abortion-inducing drugs safety act; and to add revocation of a physician’s medical license to the professional sanctions authorized for failure to comply with the abortion-inducing drugs safety act.
 
SB494, to amend the law to require that the director of state highways and transportation perform additional duties.
 
SB310, to repeal the electronic waste collection, recycling, and reuse act.
 
SB373, concerning the reorganization of local district courts to create the sixteenth judicial district of the state district court system.
 
SB410, to facilitate the administration of boiler inspections; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB465, to create the continuum of care program within the Department of Human Services; and to amend the life choices lifeline program to clarify language and ensure proper administration of the program.
 
SB506, to transfer certain entities to the Department of Agriculture; and to transfer agricultural promotional boards to the Department of Agriculture by a cabinet-level department transfer; and to declare an emergency.
  
SB320, to provide consumer protection for in-state internet auction sales and estate sales; to amend the law concerning the auctioneers licensing board; and to amend the auctioneer’s licensing law.
 
SB388, to regulate ground transportation at municipal airports and regional airports; to regulate peer-to-peer car-sharing programs; and to establish the peer-to-peer car-sharing program act.
    
SB415, to establish the Arkansas Prescribed Burning Act.
 
SB467, to amend the law concerning the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission; and to amend the membership of the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission.
 
SB508, to amend the Used Tire Recycling and Accountability Act; to amend the used tire programs; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB331, an act for the Department of Education – Division of Elementary and Secondary Education – after school and summer program grants appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
   
SB390, to amend the civil penalties and establish criminal penalties related to child labor violations; and to clarify the workers’ compensation law related to child labor resulting from initiated Act 4 of 1948.
    
SB427, to provide an exemption for special events to allow certain new motor vehicle dealers and new motor vehicle manufacturers or distributors to display and sell certain vehicles at certain special events.
    
SB475, to amend the law regarding alcoholic beverages; to clarify the violation regarding the sale of controlled beverages by vending machine; and to authorize the sale through a dispensing machine under certain circumstances.
 
SB511, to amend the law concerning participating in a drag race on a public highway.
 
SB542, to amend the Right-to-Know-and-See Act; and to require an abortion provider who knowingly performs or refers a patient for an abortion to comply with the right of a patient to view ultrasound images before an abortion.
     
SB576, to amend the law concerning the authority of the Arkansas Public Service Commission over interstate rates, charges, classifications, and other actions; and to increase the amount recoverable from an affected utility.
     
SB578, to transfer funds, define monies available in the restricted reserve fund, and to allow additional funds for state departments, agencies and institutions; and for other purposes.
 
SB62, to prohibit public entities from contracting with companies that boycott energy, fossil fuel, firearms, and ammunition industries.
 
SB270, to amend the criminal offense of sexual indecency with a child.
 
SB353, to amend Arkansas law concerning reports of improper or illegal practices.
 
SB378, to amend the Computer Science Education Advancement Act of 2021; and to allow a public school district to employ a computer science teacher at each high school.
 
SB432, to establish the conditions under which a public school that operates primarily as a virtual school may offer a statewide student assessment in a virtual setting.
            
SB462, to extend the application period for the Arkansas Major Historic Rehabilitation Income Tax Credit Act.
 
SB66, to create the protection of minors from distribution of harmful material act; to establish liability for the publication or distribution of material harmful to minors on the internet; and to require reasonable age verification.
            
SB272, to create an election integrity review process; to amend the duties of the state board of election commissioners; and to amend the law concerning election law violations.
            
SB354, to transfer the duties of certain boards to the state board of appraisers, abstracters, and home inspectors; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB383, to amend the law concerning ownership and possession of real property.
 
SB434, to reduce the number of employees required to mandate the electronic filing of annual withholding statements and to reduce the methods by which an employer can file annual withholding statements.
  
SB96, regarding the termination of the obligation to register as a sex offender; and to require notification to a victim of a sex offender’s application to terminate an obligation to register. 
 
SB285, to amend the law concerning absences from school; and to provide for an excused absence for a student who accompanies the student’s parent or legal guardian to vote.
 
SB358, to prohibit industrial hemp that contain certain delta tetrahydrocannabinol substances; to include certain tetrahydrocannabinol in the list of schedule vi controlled substances; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB384, to require public schools to provide instruction on adoption awareness.
 
SB436, to amend the maximum number of new or additional positions and the maximum number of passenger motor vehicles for certain institutions of higher education.
 
SB466, to amend the Arkansas Student Protection Act; and to include offering or providing abortion referrals as a prohibited transaction by a public school or open-enrollment charter school.
 
SB125, concerning free speech rights at state-supported institutions of higher education.
 
SB286, an act for the Department of Finance and Administration – disbursing officer appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
 
SB361, concerning the participation of homeschooled students in interscholastic activities.
 
SB387, to amend the Arkansas Military Child School Transitions Act of 2021.
 
SB441, to amend the sales and use tax laws concerning exemptions related to certain machinery and equipment; and to allow a sales and use tax exemption for certain machinery and equipment placed in inventory.
            
SB470, concerning career and technical education.
 
SB178, to amend the Arkansas Health Care Consumer Act; and to provide reimbursement and benefits for mental illness and substance use disorders that are delivered through a psychiatric collaborative care model.
 
SB311, to amend the limitations period for when a petition for an initial order of child support may be sought and the period of time for which retroactive child support may be awarded.
 
SB408, to amend various laws concerning adoption; and to amend certain adoption laws to differentiate between minor and adult adoptions.
            
SB447, concerning ballots and the tabulation of unopposed races on the ballot; and to amend election procedures.   
  
SB204, to amend the justice for vulnerable victims of sexual abuse act; to remove the age limitation for a vulnerable victim to bring a civil action; and to amend the commencement date for a civil action.  
 
SB314, to amend the definition of “qualified steel specialty products manufacturing facility” for the purpose of the income tax credit for waste reduction, reuse, or recycling equipment; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB363, to amend Arkansas law concerning reports of improper of illegal practices.
 
SB416, to create the imagination library of Arkansas program; and to create the imagination library of Arkansas program fund.
 
SB451, to amend the law regarding career education and workforce development.
 
SB477, to create a means by which students who qualify for reduced-price meals at school receive free meals at school.
 
SB239, an act for the Department of Commerce capital improvement appropriation.
 
SB316, to add the contractors licensing board, residential contractors committee, and the department of labor and licensing to the list of claimant agencies for purposes of the setoff against tax refunds. 
 
SB364, to require the state board of education to establish within two years of its assumption of authority over a public school district the conditions under which the public school district shall be returned to local control.
 
SB419, to extend the sunset date for the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Special Privilege Tax Act of 2017; and to declare an emergency. 
 
SB458, to amend the Public School Choice Act of 2015; and to amend the eligibility of children of active duty uniformed services personnel to participate in the Arkansas children’s educational freedom account program.
 
SB479, to amend the distributions from the general revenue fund account; and to transfer revenues to the restricted reserve fund to be used to address food insecurity and health needs.
 
SB266, to amend the law concerning the appointment of members to the commission for parent counsel. 
 
SB324, to exempt certain nonprofit agricultural membership organizations from insurance regulation.
 
SB376, to amend the law concerning the duties of the data and transparency panel; and to develop a shared services data hub for statewide data sharing.
 
SB421, to create the Coach Safely Act; and to require youth injury mitigation and information courses for athletics personnel and coaches.
  
SB482, to amend the Income Tax Act of 1929; and to provide an apportionment formula for the income of railroads. 
  
SB568, to amend Acts 2023, No. 237; and to amend the limitation on the funds a participating student may receive under the Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program.
 
SB505, to establish a means by which a public school may award a student a high school diploma before the student graduates under certain circumstances; and to declare an emergency.
 
SB520, to amend the composition of the graduate medical education residency expansion board.
 
SB534, to create the “Arkansas Rocks! Mining and Mineral Trail.”