Committee roundup: which bills the Judiciary Committee advanced and which it rejected

The Arkansas Senate Judiciary Committee considered multiple bills during the session. Below is a concise list of bills with formal committee outcomes recorded in the transcript. Where the transcript did not record a roll-call tally, the committee used voice votes.

Votes at a glance (selected items recorded in committee transcript)

- SB 590 — Passed in committee; chair announced "you have passed your bill again." (Sponsor: Senator Gilmore) — details of the measure not discussed at length in the transcript excerpt.

- SB 612 — Passed in committee. Private right-of-action framework for social media (sponsor: Senator Tyler Deese). (Separate article covers the discussion.)

- SB 623 — Passed in committee. Limits restraints and establishes care/reporting standards for pregnant/postpartum inmates (sponsor: Senator Jamie Scott). (Separate article covers the discussion.)

- SB 509 — Did not pass in committee; the chair announced “SB 5 0 9 did not pass.” (Sponsor: Senator Gary Stubblefield). (Separate article covers the debate.)

- HB 1835 — Passed in committee. Specialty court legislation (sponsor: Representative Carol Dolby); committee recorded motion and successful voice vote.

- HB 1838 — Passed in committee. Probate and guardianship code cleanup (sponsor: Representative Carol Dolby); recorded as passed on voice vote.

- HB 1839 — Passed in committee. Procedures for declaration of death of a missing person (sponsor: Representative Carol Dolby); recorded as passed on voice vote.

- HB 16 24 — Passed in committee. County law library board appointment and term clarifications (sponsor: Senator Boyd); recorded as passed.

- HB 17 52 — Passed in committee. Exempted certain federally qualified savings plans from execution (sponsor: Senator Boyd as senate sponsor); recorded as passed.

- HB 16 15 — Passed in committee. Clarification of Religious Freedom Act application to religious organizations (sponsor: Representative Lundstrom); recorded as passed.

- HB 17 99 — Passed in committee. Removal of obsolete fax reporting requirement (sponsor: Representative Ott); recorded as passed.

- HB 11 48 — Passed in committee. Drone privacy and notice for residential overflights (sponsor: Representative Ott); recorded as passed.

- HB 18 65 — Passed in committee. Minimum sentencing changes for certain violent offenses against children where perpetrator held position of trust (sponsor: Representative Vaught/AG's office support); recorded as passed.

- HB 18 87 — Passed in committee. Statewide child abduction response team oversight moved to Arkansas State Police (sponsor: Senator Jim Petty as senate sponsor); recorded as passed.

- HB 17 29 — Passed in committee. Homestead exemption clarification for property owned by limited liability companies (sponsor: Representative Rebecca Birx); recorded as passed.

- HB 18 24 — Passed in committee. Temporary authority for law enforcement to secure neglected dogs or cats in emergency circumstances while preserving owner due process (sponsor: Representative Matt Duffield); recorded as passed.

What the transcript shows about voting process

Most measures were approved by voice vote after a motion and second; several items had little or no public witness testimony. For measures with detailed debate (for example SB 509, SB 623 and SB 612), the committee either rejected the measure (SB 509) or approved it after amendment and questioning (SB 623, SB 612).

If you need a full roll-call, fiscal notes or the precise text of adopted amendments, those were not recorded in the portion of the transcript supplied; committee staff or the official minutes produce formal tallies and amendment text for the legislative record.