---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO PROVIDE EMPLOYEE EXEMPTIONS FROM FEDERAL MANDATES AND EMPLOYER MANDATES RELATED TO CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19); AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
description: "TO PROVIDE EMPLOYEE EXEMPTIONS FROM FEDERAL MANDATES AND EMPLOYER MANDATES RELATED TO CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19); AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 1977"
citation: "Arkansas HB 1977 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["B. Ballinger", "Bryant"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 35
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2021-09-30T20:39:33+00:00"
last_action: "2021-10-13T20:45:58+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/cbaac1b0-7e45-4f64-97c8-1331326ec2db"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "077be67af33b0072f9e94fa4a7e2557a06cbf00be6aa6d5df5f99d9e33480e10"
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 HB 1977 (2021) — TO PROVIDE EMPLOYEE EXEMPTIONS FROM FEDERAL MANDATES AND EMPLOYER MANDATES RELATED TO CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19); AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

## Version chain

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

1. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2021R%2FPublic%2FHB1977-H1.pdf)
2. **HB 1977** (committee substitute) — [source](ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/2021R/Public/Searchable/HB1977.pdf)

## Votes

- Roll call was requested. Five hands were seen. The motion to expunge the vote by which the Emergency Clause failed of adoption failed. — **23–8** (pass) · upper
- Emergency Clause failed of adoption. — **22–11** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **22–12** (pass) · upper
- Motion to send HB1977 back to Senate passed — **60–32** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **68–23** (pass) · lower
- Motion to expunge the vote by which the Emergency Clause failed of adoption. Motion failed. Roll call was requested. Five hands were seen. The motion to expunge the vote failed. — **22–11** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- B. Ballinger — primary (person)
- Bryant — primary (person)
- Bentley — cosponsor (person)
- Crawford — cosponsor (person)
- Flippo — cosponsor (person)
- Haak — cosponsor (person)
- K. Hammer — cosponsor (person)
- M. Gray — cosponsor (person)
- Rice — cosponsor (person)
- Vaught — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-09-30T20:39:33+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2021-09-30T22:06:43+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-10-01T15:06:12+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2021-10-04T13:31:25+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2021-10-04T13:31:33+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2021-10-04T15:24:14+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2021-10-05T17:26:23+00:00** Motion for immediate consideration passed
- **2021-10-05T17:26:29+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-10-05T17:26:44+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2021-10-05T20:38:36+00:00** Received from the House.
- **2021-10-05T20:38:57+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-10-06T14:12:40+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-10-06T14:12:51+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2021-10-06T15:29:57+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-10-06T15:30:05+00:00** Emergency Clause failed of adoption.
- **2021-10-06T15:31:03+00:00** Motion to expunge the vote by which the Emergency Clause failed of adoption. Motion failed. Roll call was requested. Five hands were seen. The motion to expunge the vote failed.
- **2021-10-06T15:32:42+00:00** Motion to expunge the vote by which the vote to expunge the Emergency Clause failed to pass. Voice vote was taken. The motion failed.
- **2021-10-06T15:32:45+00:00** Roll call was requested. Five hands were seen. The motion to expunge the vote by which the Emergency Clause failed of adoption failed.
- **2021-10-06T15:33:26+00:00** Motion to suspend the rules and hold HB1977 in the Senate Chamber. The motion was objected to. A voice vote was taken.
- **2021-10-06T15:36:22+00:00** The motion to suspend the rules to hold HB1977 in the Senate failed
- **2021-10-06T15:37:31+00:00** Returned to the house as passed, emergency clause failed of adoption.
- **2021-10-06T15:40:00+00:00** Motion to recall HB1977 from the House. Motion carried.
- **2021-10-06T16:04:58+00:00** Returned from the Senate as passed with emergency clause failed of adoption
- **2021-10-06T17:23:44+00:00** Request to Return to Senate
- **2021-10-06T17:24:44+00:00** Motion to send HB1977 back to Senate passed
- **2021-10-06T17:24:54+00:00** Returned To the Senate as requested.
- **2021-10-06T19:26:58+00:00** Returned From the House as requested.
- **2021-10-07T14:50:08+00:00** Third Reading for Consideration of Emergency Clause only.
- **2021-10-07T14:50:10+00:00** Motion for Immediate Consideration. Motion carried.
- **2021-10-07T14:50:11+00:00** Emergency Clause failed of adoption.
- **2021-10-07T14:51:32+00:00** Returned to the House the Emergency Clause havnig failed to pass.
- **2021-10-07T15:29:00+00:00** Returned to the House as passed, emergency clause failed of adoption.
- **2021-10-07T15:29:04+00:00** TO BE ENROLLED
- **2021-10-07T16:40:38+00:00** Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office.
- **2021-10-13T20:45:58+00:00** Notification that HB1977 is now Act 1113 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/cbaac1b0-7e45-4f64-97c8-1331326ec2db`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).