Senate clears a broad set of bills on final days of session; roll-call summary

The Arkansas Senate adopted dozens of measures during the April 15, 2025 floor session, including budget appropriations, statutory amendments and concurrence on house amendments. Several high-profile, contested measures drew debate and in some cases failed on roll call.

Why it matters: The votes finalize appropriations and statutory changes ahead of the scheduled adjournment and transmit measures to the governor. A handful of narrowly decided or failed bills indicate continuing policy disputes that could carry forward to the next legislative day or session.

What passed (selected roll-call results recorded on the floor): - Senate Resolution 68 (recognizing Arkansas State Police interstate criminal patrol): adopted (voice vote).

- Senate Bill 90 (require public comment opportunity at each school board meeting; as amended): passed 34 yea, 0 nay, 1 present. (floor roll call announced at 00:25:28–00:25:46)

- Senate Bill 313 (forensic mental health evaluations; as concurred in): passed 35 yea, 0 nay. (roll call announced at 00:27:02–00:27:18)

- Senate Bill 352 (prohibit antisemitism in public schools and state-supported higher education; as concurred in): passed 29 yea, 3 nay, 3 present. (floor tally recorded at 00:28:14–00:28:20)

- Senate Bill 397 (rail employee confidentiality in fatality reports; as concurred in): passed 33 yea, 1 nay, 1 present. (vote recorded at 00:30:25–00:30:41)

- Senate Bill 431 (Human Trafficking Act amendments; statute-of-limitations and safe harbor changes; as concurred in): passed 35 yea, 0 nay. (00:31:50–00:32:06)

- Senate Bill 433 (appraisers/abstractors/home inspectors licensure changes; as concurred in): passed 33 yea, 0 nay, 1 not voting, 1 present; emergency clause adopted. (00:33:09–00:33:29)

- Senate Bill 458 (transfer/juvenile sentencing provisions clarification; as concurred in): passed 34 yea, 0 nay, 1 present. (00:34:46–00:35:03)

- Senate Bill 519 (life-insurance interest on deferred cash surrender values; as concurred in): passed 33 yea, 1 nay, 1 not voting. (00:36:16–00:36:29)

- Senate Bill 533 (consumable hemp regulation by Tobacco Control Board; as concurred in): passed 26 yea, 0 nay, 1 not voting, 8 present. (00:37:10–00:37:42)

- Senate Bill 546 (water permit trust fund contribution fee amendment; as concurred in): passed 34 yea, 0 nay, 1 not voting. (00:38:49–00:39:02)

- Senate Bill 575 (justice system fees and task force; as concurred in): passed 32 yea, 0 nay, 1 not voting, 2 present. (00:40:02–00:40:12)

- Senate Bill 611 (Social Media Safety Act technical fixes; as concurred in): passed 29 yea, 2 nay, 1 not voting, 3 present. (00:41:07–00:41:27)

Selected appropriations and budget-related floor votes: - House Bill 1105 (DHS secretary's office appropriation): passed 34 yea, 0 nay, 1 not voting; emergency clause adopted. (10:20:44–10:20:58)

- House Bill 1163 (Department of Labor & Licensing appropriation): passed 33 yea, 0 nay, 2 not voting; emergency clause adopted. (10:26:28–10:27:02)

- House Bill 1202 (Department of Finance & Administration appropriation): passed 32 yea, 0 nay, 2 not voting, 1 present; emergency clause adopted. (10:32:45–10:34:17)

- Senate Bill 636 (surplus distribution/transfer to restricted reserve fund): passed 30 yea, 2 nay, 1 not voting, 2 present; emergency clause adopted. (10:36:21–10:38:32)

Other measures of note (selected final actions recorded on the floor): - House Bill 1178: (listed on desk; not debated on the floor at length in this excerpt).

- House Bill 1178–House Bill 19 series and numerous other house concurrence items were returned to the House after passage; selected K–12, licensing and local government bills also passed (detailed tallies appear in the transcript for each item when requested by the floor.)

What failed or did not advance on final floor action (selected): - House Bill 16 24 (county law library board membership change as amended): failed on roll call (12 yea, 11 nay, 10 not voting, 1 present); the Senate later voted to expunge that failure from the record by motion. (Vote recorded at 01:56:27–01:56:58)

- House Bill 16 62 (prohibit lobbying for a covered foreign entity): failed on roll call (16 yea, 12 nay, 6 not voting, 1 present). (Floor tally recorded at 02:06:45–02:07:22)

- Several extraction and procedural motions were offered and disposed of on the floor; one motion to extract House Bill 19 46 from the education committee failed. (See transcript passage 03:28:00–03:30:00.)

Context and next steps: Measures that passed as "concurred in" will be enrolled and transmitted to the governor for signature or veto. Budget and emergency-clause measures carry immediate fiscal impact if signed. Failed or closely divided bills can be refiled, amended or addressed in subsequent sessions. The Senate adjourned subject to reconvening at 08:30 a.m. April 16 to allow time for a scheduled recognition and reception for the secretary of the Senate.

Ending note: This roundup captures roll-call results and outcomes announced on the floor during the April 15 session. Quotations and specific parliamentary actions are recorded in the official transcript and minutes of the Arkansas Senate.