Arkansas 2021 Regular Session Status: Enacted

SB 488 — TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967; TO CREATE AN EXEMPTION TO THE EXAMINATION AND COPYING OF PUBLIC RECORDS; AND TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967 AND VOTED BALLOTS.

Last action — Notification that SB488 is now Act 727

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 05, 2021. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 80% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 65 sponsors

    2 primary, 63 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

  • SB 488 Current pdf

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill creates an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act of 1967 to protect voted ballots from public examination and copying, with specific allowances for poll watchers.

  • Arkansas Code § 25-19-105(b)

    (27)(A) Ballots, other than sample ballots, unless otherwise ordered by a court of law; (B) Subdivision (b)(27)(A) of this section does not apply to a poll watcher during an election, who shall be allowed to inspect a voter statement and ballot while ensuring the secrecy of the vote is maintained and subject to reasonable restrictions prescribed by the State Board of Election Commissioners.

    This adds a new exemption for ballots, restricting public access while allowing poll watchers to inspect them under specific conditions.

Amendments

1 amendment

Click Show changes on an amendment above to see how it modifies the bill.

Action History

  1. Notification that SB488 is now Act 727

  2. DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR.

  3. Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.

  4. ORDERED ENROLLED

  5. Returned from the House as passed.

  6. Returned To the Senate as passed.

  7. Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.

  8. Returned by the Committee Do Pass

  9. Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- HOUSE

  10. RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE

  11. Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.

  12. Read the third time and passed.

  13. Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass

  14. Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE

  15. REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED

  16. Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.

  17. Withdrawn from Committee for purpose of amendment # 1

  18. Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE

  19. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

2 sponsors · 63 co-sponsors · 73 not signed on · 21 voted No

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (63)

Not signed on (73)

73 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 73 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.

Passed 71 Yea · 21 Nay · 8 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 712108
Total 712108
% of votes cast 71%21%0%8%
How each member voted (100)
Member Party Vote
Bragg — Yea
Christiansen — Yea
Cloud — Yea
Coleman — Yea
Deffenbaugh — Yea
Fortner — Yea
Hawks — Yea
Hillman — Yea
Jett — Yea
Lowery — Yea
Miller — Yea
Slape — Yea
Speaks — Yea
Tollett — Yea
Watson — Yea
Fielding — Nay
Godfrey — Nay
Nicks — Nay
Richardson — Nay
Haak — Not Voting
Carr — Not Voting
Aaron Pilkington — Yea
Andrew Collins — Yea
Ashley Hudson — Nay
Austin McCollum — Yea
B. Smith — Yea
Brian S. Evans — Yea
Brit McKenzie — Yea
Bruce Cozart — Yea
C. Fite — Yea
Cameron Cooper — Yea
Carlton Wing — Yea
Carol Dalby — Yea
Cindy Crawford — Yea
Clint Penzo — Yea
D. Ferguson — Not Voting
David Ray — Yea
David Whitaker — Nay
DeAnn Vaught — Yea
Denise Garner — Nay
Denise Jones Ennett — Nay
Dwight Tosh — Yea
Frances Cavenaugh — Yea
Fred Allen — Nay
Fredrick J. Love — Nay
Harlan Breaux — Yea
Howard M. Beaty, Jr. — Yea
Jack Ladyman — Yea
Jamie Scott — Nay
Jeff Wardlaw — Yea
Jim Dotson — Not Voting
Jim Wooten — Yea
Jimmy Gazaway — Yea
John Maddox — Yea
John Payton — Yea
Johnny Rye — Yea
Jon Milligan — Yea
Jon S. Eubanks — Yea
Joshua Bryant — Nay
Joy Springer — Nay
Julie Mayberry — Yea
Justin Boyd — Yea
Justin Gonzales — Yea
K. Ferguson — Nay
Karilyn Brown — Yea
Keith Brooks — Yea
Kendon Underwood — Not Voting
L. Fite — Yea
L. Johnson — Yea
Lane Jean — Yea
Les D. Eaves — Not Voting
Les Warren — Yea
M. Berry — Yea
M. Davis — Yea
M. Gray — Yea
M. Hodges — Nay
Marcus E. Richmond — Yea
Mark D. McElroy — Yea
Mark Perry — Nay
Mary Bentley — Yea
Matthew J. Shepherd — Not Voting
Mike Holcomb — Yea
Nicole Clowney — Nay
Reginald Murdock — Nay
Richard McGrew — Yea
Richard Womack — Not Voting
Rick Beck — Yea
Rick McClure — Yea
Robin Lundstrum — Yea
Roger D. Lynch — Yea
Ron McNair — Yea
S. Berry — Yea
S. Smith — Yea
Sonia Eubanks Barker — Yea
Stephen Magie — Nay
Stephen Meeks — Yea
Steve Hollowell — Yea
Tippi McCullough — Nay
Tony Furman — Yea
V. Flowers — Nay

Official roll call →

Read the third time and passed.

Passed 28 Yea · 5 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 28502
Total 28502
% of votes cast 80%14%0%6%
How each member voted (35)
Member Party Vote
Beckham — Yea
Bledsoe — Yea
Rapert — Yea
Elliott — Nay
Teague — Not Voting
Alan Clark — Yea
B. Ballinger — Yea
B. Sample — Yea
Bart Hester — Yea
Ben Gilmore — Yea
Blake Johnson — Yea
Breanne Davis — Yea
C. Tucker — Nay
Dan Sullivan — Yea
Dave Wallace — Yea
G. Stubblefield — Yea
Greg Leding — Nay
J. Hendren — Yea
J. Sturch — Yea
Jane English — Yea
Jimmy Hickey, Jr — Yea
Jonathan Dismang — Yea
K. Ingram — Nay
Kim Hammer — Yea
L. Chesterfield — Not Voting
L. Eads — Yea
M. Pitsch — Yea
Mark Johnson — Yea
Missy Irvin — Yea
Ricky Hill — Yea
Ronald Caldwell — Yea
S. Flowers — Nay
Scott Flippo — Yea
T. Garner — Yea
Terry Rice — Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 488?
SB 488 is sponsored by Kim Hammer, Lowery, Karilyn Brown, Barker, Howard M. Beaty, Jr., Rick Beck, Mary Bentley, Justin Boyd, Bragg, Brooks, Frances Cavenaugh, Christiansen, Cloud, Coleman, Bruce Cozart, Cindy Crawford, Dalby, Eaves, Eubanks, Evans, Jimmy Gazaway, Gonzales, Haak, Hawks, Steve Hollowell, Jack Ladyman, Robin Lundstrum, John Maddox, Austin McCollum, Richard McGrew, McNair, Stephen Meeks, John Payton, Aaron Pilkington, Marcus E. Richmond, Johnny Rye, Speaks, DeAnn Vaught, Les Warren, Watson, Wing, Cameron Cooper, Jim Wooten, Mark Johnson, Beckham, Jane English, Scott Flippo, Missy Irvin, Blake Johnson, Rapert, Terry Rice, Dan Sullivan, Dave Wallace, Clint Penzo, Breanne Davis, Gary Stubblefield, J. Sturch, B. Sample, M. Gray, M. Berry, S. Smith, B. Smith, L. Fite, Joey Carr, and S. Berry.
What is the current status of SB 488?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 05, 2021. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 488?
Track SB 488 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB 488

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of SB 488

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →