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Judiciary Committee pauses bill creating civil cause of action over youth social transitioning
Summary
A long, contentious hearing on House Bill 16‑68 — the Vulnerable Youth Protection Act — drew extensive testimony for and against the measure before sponsor Representative Mary Bentley asked to pull the bill for revision. The Arkansas Attorney General's office told the committee it had "facial constitutional concerns."
State Representative Mary Bentley introduced House Bill 16‑68 as an amendment to align current law with what she called the SAFE Act and to create a civil cause of action for harms the bill ties to "social transitioning" of minors.
The bill prompted more than an hour of committee questioning and public testimony before Representative Bentley, the bill sponsor, asked that the measure be pulled so she could rework definitions and have amendments engrossed for public review. The committee granted that request without objection and said the bill will be placed on special order when refiled.
The bill, as presented, would broaden civil liability for persons who "knowingly" assist a minor in social transitioning and extends a statute-of-limitations provision discussed in committee from 15 years to 20 years. Bentley said her amendment adds the word "knowingly" and is meant to make the draft "perfectly line up with the SAFE Act that we had passed previously." She described the bill as protecting children and…
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