Senate Bill 405 would update Arkansas statute to conform with federal INFORM Act

State Representative John Maddox of District 86 presented Senate Bill 405, saying the measure would update Arkansas law to conform with the federal INFORM Act passed in 2023.

Maddox said the state originally passed an INFORM Act in 2021 that “placed requirements on Internet marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, Facebook, etcetera to verify the identity of third party sellers and post contact information for those sellers on any product listing.” He told the committee Walmart and other retailers supported that earlier legislation to help identify organized retail crime groups.

The bill, as described in the hearing excerpt, is limited to aligning the state statute with the federal INFORM Act. “So with the passage of the federal inform act, we are merely updating our Arkansas statute, which started the process to conform with the federal law,” Maddox said. He invited questions and said Michael Lindsey, director of government relations for Walmart, was available to answer specific questions.

The transcript excerpt does not record a committee vote or further debate on the measure. No additional details on precise statutory language, effective dates, or amendments were provided in the excerpt.

If enacted as described, the update would make Arkansas’ state-level requirements for online marketplaces consistent with the federal standard adopted in 2023, continuing a policy trajectory the state began with its 2021 law, which Maddox said made Arkansas the first state to pass such legislation.