---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO OPEN-ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL AND TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL WAIVERS; AND TO AMEND PROVISIONS CONCERNING SCHOOLS OF INNOVATION."
description: "TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO OPEN-ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL AND TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL WAIVERS; AND TO AMEND PROVISIONS CONCERNING SCHOOLS OF INNOVATION."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2019"
identifier: "SB 538"
citation: "Arkansas SB 538 (2019)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["J. Sturch"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 24
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2019-03-12"
last_action: "2019-04-10"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e899824f-6096-41b9-b92f-31affb2df614"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "a80fe4e417419a04a922f9787ed3dda3bef908680fa4aa53534ec5f719c83a14"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ar"]
---

# Arkansas SB 538 (2019) — TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO OPEN-ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL AND TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL WAIVERS; AND TO AMEND PROVISIONS CONCERNING SCHOOLS OF INNOVATION.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Document?type=pdf&chamber=&source=Amendments&bill=SB538-H1&ddBienniumSession=2019%2F2019R)
2. **SB 538** (committee substitute) — [source](ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/2019R/Public/Searchable/SB538.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed. — **35–0** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **35–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- J. Sturch — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-03-12** Filed `introduction`
- **2019-03-12** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2019-03-20** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-03-25** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2019-03-25** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2019-03-25** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2019-03-25** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2019-03-26** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2019-03-27** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2019-03-27** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2019-03-27** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2019-03-28** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2019-03-28** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2019-04-01** Returned From the House as passed as amended.
- **2019-04-01** Re-referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2019-04-03** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass concur in House Amendment No. 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-04-04** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2019-04-04** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2019-04-04** Rules suspended.
- **2019-04-04** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2019-04-04** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2019-04-05** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2019-04-05** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2019-04-10** Notification that SB538 is now Act 815 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e899824f-6096-41b9-b92f-31affb2df614`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).