Order

2025R: SB246 ACT 340

TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS.

Latest action: Notification that SB246 is now Act 340

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Sponsor	Role
J. Dismang	lead
M. Shepherd	primary
Achor	cosponsor
Andrews	cosponsor
Barker	cosponsor
Beaty Jr.	cosponsor
Beck	cosponsor
Brooks	cosponsor
Cavenaugh	cosponsor
Crawford	cosponsor
Eaves	cosponsor
Eubanks	cosponsor
Evans	cosponsor
Gramlich	cosponsor
Hawk	cosponsor
John Carr	cosponsor
K. Brown	cosponsor
M. Brown	cosponsor
McAlindon	cosponsor
McClure	cosponsor
Nazarenko	cosponsor
Rose	cosponsor
S. Meeks	cosponsor
Torres	cosponsor
Unger	cosponsor
Wardlaw	cosponsor
Wing	cosponsor

When	Chamber	Action
Feb 17, 2025, 5:11 p.m. CT	Senate	Filed
Feb 17, 2025, 5:17 p.m. CT	Senate	Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE
Mar 6, 2025, 2:07 p.m. CT	Senate	Rules suspended.
Mar 6, 2025, 2:07 p.m. CT	Senate	Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1
Mar 6, 2025, 2:07 p.m. CT	Senate	Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
Mar 6, 2025, 7:30 p.m. CT	Senate	REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
Mar 6, 2025, 7:31 p.m. CT	Senate	Re-referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE
Mar 10, 2025, 6:55 p.m. CT	Senate	Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 2
Mar 12, 2025, 2:02 p.m. CT	Senate	Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
Mar 12, 2025, 2:03 p.m. CT	Senate	Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
Mar 12, 2025, 4:25 p.m. CT	Senate	REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
Mar 13, 2025, 2:30 p.m. CT	Senate	Read the third time and passed. ·
Mar 13, 2025, 2:31 p.m. CT	Senate	Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
Mar 13, 2025, 5:02 p.m. CT	House	RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
Mar 13, 2025, 5:26 p.m. CT	House	Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the CALENDAR.
Mar 17, 2025, 2:55 p.m. CT	House	Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. ·
Mar 17, 2025, 2:55 p.m. CT	House	Returned to the Senate as passed.
Mar 17, 2025, 4:39 p.m. CT	Senate	Returned from the House as passed.
Mar 17, 2025, 4:39 p.m. CT	Senate	ORDERED ENROLLED
Mar 18, 2025, 9:16 a.m. CT	Senate	Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
Mar 18, 2025, 9:16 a.m. CT	Senate	DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR.
Mar 18, 2025, 4:01 p.m. CT	Senate	Notification that SB246 is now Act 340

Meetings

When	Meeting	Video
Mar 6, 2025, 1:30 p.m. CT	Senate Floor Session · Senate Chamber	Video Add to Google Calendar Add to Apple Calendar
Mar 10, 2025, 9:00 a.m. CT	Joint Education · Big Mac, Room A	Video Add to Google Calendar Add to Apple Calendar
Mar 12, 2025, 1:30 p.m. CT	Senate Floor Session · Senate Chamber	Video Add to Google Calendar Add to Apple Calendar
Mar 13, 2025, 1:30 p.m. CT	Senate Floor Session · Senate Chamber	Video Add to Google Calendar Add to Apple Calendar
Mar 17, 2025, 1:30 p.m. CT	House Meeting · House	Video Add to Google Calendar Add to Apple Calendar

Filed amendments on record: S1 (Senate) by J. Dismang, filed Mar 6, 2025, 10:11 a.m. CT: ARKANSAS SENATE 95th General Assembly - Regular Session, 2025 Amendment Form ______________________________________________________________________ Subtitle of Senate Bill 246 TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE T; S2 (Senate) by J. Dismang, filed Mar 10, 2025, 6:17 p.m. CT: ARKANSAS SENATE 95th General Assembly - Regular Session, 2025 Amendment Form ______________________________________________________________________ Subtitle of Senate Bill 246 TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE T.

Number	Chamber	Sponsor	Introduced
S1	Senate	J. Dismang	Mar 6, 2025, 10:11 a.m. CT
S2	Senate	J. Dismang	Mar 10, 2025, 6:17 p.m. CT

Fiscal impact

Other2 · Mar 9, 2025

Fiscal Impact Statement 95th General Assembly of the State of Arkansas Regular Session, 2025 ______________________________________________________________________________ DATE: 03/07/2025 BILL: SB246, As Engrossed S3/06/2025 SPONSOR: Sen. Dismang;Rep. Shepherd SUBTITLE: TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. ______________________________________________________________________________ I. Net proceeds from the state lottery for the 4 immediately preceding years: Year: Net Proceeds Amount: 2023-2024 $129,404,053 2022-2023 $114,767,980 2021-2022 $99,386,657 2020-2021 $106,417,224 II. Total amount of additional revenue available, if any: Year: Source: Amount: 2023-2024 Net Proceeds Fund Balance $0 2022-2023 Net Proceeds Fund Balance $0 2021-2022 Net Proceeds Fund Balance $0 2020-2021 Net Proceeds Fund Balance $0 III. Net proceeds used to fund the following during the 4 immediately preceding years: ACS: CCS: CADEMIC HALLENGE CHOLARSHIPONCURRENT HALLENGE CHOLARSHIP Year: Net Proceeds Used: Year: Net Proceeds Used: 2023-2024 $55,472,177 2023-2024 $3,875,974 2022-2023 $54,358,056 2022-2

Other3 · Mar 10, 2025

Fiscal Impact Statement ______________________________________________________________________________ DATE: 3/06/2025 BILL: HB1512/SB246 SPONSOR: Rep. Shepherd; Sen. Dismang SUBTITLE: TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. ______________________________________________________________________________ TOPIC - Higher Education AFFECTED FUNDS – Lottery Proceeds, Higher Ed Operating Fund, Higher Ed Grants Fund REVENUE IMPACT - $22,659,008 lottery net proceeds; $0 to agency general revenues ASSUMPTIONS - BASED ON: This act amends code to reflect multiple items associated with higher education in Arkansas. The impact to lottery proceeds is affected by the increase of the freshman award amount for Academic Challenge from $1,000 per year to $2,000 per year, this is estimated to cost $8,720,000 per year. Proceeds are also affected by the addition of eligibility for the Governor’s Scholar program to high school students who graduate high school with an associate’s degree or with a diploma of distinction, this is estimated to cost an additional $5,000,000 per year. Changes to the award leve

Committee actions

Do Pass as amended · Senate · Mar 10, 2025, 6:55 p.m. CT
Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 2

Floor roll calls

House · RCS 613

Monday, March 17, 2025 2:55:12 PM · arkleg

77Yea

17Nay

6Not voting

0Present

0Excused

Yea (77)

Nay (17)

Not voting (6)

Senate · RCS 521

Thursday, March 13, 2025 2:30:51 PM · arkleg

28Yea

6Nay

1Not voting

0Present

0Excused

Yea (28)

Nay (6)

Not voting (1)

Bryan King (R)

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Talking Points

Notes

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In the News

News stories that mention SB246, found by bill number and title words and filtered for Arkansas coverage. Checked about every 12 hours for bills people follow.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs Arkansas Access Act higher education bill into law
KARK · Mar 19, 2025
Arkansas lawmakers send higher education bill to governor’s desk
Arkansas Advocate · Mar 18, 2025
Governor signs 50 bills into law: includes Arkansas ACCESS Act and nitrogen gas executions
KATV · Mar 18, 2025
Arkansas House and Senate approve ACCESS Act bills - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette · Mar 17, 2025
Higher education, executive branch employees’ pay top state’s legislative docket - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette · Mar 9, 2025
Oppose “Arkansas ACCESS Act” that Would Eradicate Dialogue in Higher Education
PEN America · Mar 5, 2025

Last checked Nov 12, 2026, 7:34 p.m. CT.

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