---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO END MANDATORY FACE COVERING REQUIREMENTS IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
description: "TO END MANDATORY FACE COVERING REQUIREMENTS IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 590"
citation: "Arkansas SB 590 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bryant", "T. Garner"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 29
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2021-03-22T18:33:32+00:00"
last_action: "2021-04-29T18:08:18+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9b41ae53-d588-42e0-84ee-37de2e996a9a"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "8e9213cceb0e45ac3b5293f9571d88d066fa404e7b6f863192f8ffa81d343dfe"
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 590 (2021) — TO END MANDATORY FACE COVERING REQUIREMENTS IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS; 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%2FSB590-H1.pdf)
2. **SB 590** (committee substitute) — [source](ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/2021R/Public/Searchable/SB590.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **69–20** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed. — **20–9** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **19–9** (pass) · upper
- EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED — **27–7** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Bryant — primary (person)
- T. Garner — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-03-22T18:33:32+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2021-03-22T20:18:35+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-03-29T23:12:40+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-31T20:20:39+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-03-31T20:20:51+00:00** Emergency Clause failed of adoption.
- **2021-03-31T20:21:00+00:00** Motion to expunge the vote by which the Emergency Clause failed of adoption. Motion passed.
- **2021-03-31T20:21:15+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2021-03-31T20:21:47+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2021-03-31T21:41:59+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2021-03-31T22:37:12+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`
- **2021-04-15T23:21:08+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-19T18:29:12+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2021-04-19T18:29:17+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2021-04-19T19:00:24+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2021-04-20T20:11:50+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-20T20:11:53+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2021-04-20T20:12:02+00:00** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2021-04-20T23:16:57+00:00** Returned from the House as passed, as amended #1.
- **2021-04-20T23:17:14+00:00** Re-referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-22T02:41:46+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass concur in House Amendment No. 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-22T18:51:15+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2021-04-22T18:51:37+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2021-04-22T18:52:34+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2021-04-22T18:53:16+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-22T18:53:30+00:00** Emergency Clause failed of adoption.
- **2021-04-22T18:53:39+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2021-04-23T17:58:31+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2021-04-23T17:58:36+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-29T18:08:18+00:00** Notification that SB590 is now Act 1002 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9b41ae53-d588-42e0-84ee-37de2e996a9a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).