---
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: "SB 739"
citation: "Arkansas SB 739 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bryant", "K. Hammer"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2021-09-29T15:51:53+00:00"
last_action: "2021-10-13T15:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e105fe62-4abf-4e62-9557-854a9552438b"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "1305e72367f638eccb3a93f47e89e93940e396dbf6c3e4a73f9661f58132aa9d"
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 739 (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 S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2021R%2FPublic%2FSB739-S1.pdf)
2. **Amendment S2** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2021R%2FPublic%2FSB739-S2.pdf)
3. **Amendment S3** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2021R%2FPublic%2FSB739-S3.pdf)
4. **SB 739** (committee substitute) — [source](ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/2021R/Public/Searchable/SB739.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **61–25** (pass) · lower
- Second Roll call on the Emergency Clause. The Emergency Clause Failed of Adoption. — **23–11** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **21–12** (pass) · upper
- Motion to Expunge the Failed Emergency Clause. Voice vote taken and the motion failed. Roll call requested. Five hands were seen. — **23–10** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

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

## Timeline

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

- **2021-09-29T15:51:53+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2021-09-29T17:30:19+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-09-29T18:55:40+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-09-30T17:23:36+00:00** Re-referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2021-10-01T19:02:05+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 3 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-10-04T14:08:11+00:00** Amendments 1 and 2 withdrawn
- **2021-10-04T14:08:35+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2021-10-04T14:08:47+00:00** Amendment # 3 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2021-10-04T15:24:55+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2021-10-04T15:25:00+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2021-10-04T17:14:49+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-10-04T17:16:01+00:00** Emergency Clause Failed of Adoption
- **2021-10-04T17:16:05+00:00** Motion to Expunge the Vote by which the Emergency Clause failed to pass. Motion carried.
- **2021-10-04T17:16:10+00:00** Second Roll call on the Emergency Clause. The Emergency Clause Failed of Adoption.
- **2021-10-04T17:16:30+00:00** Motion to Expunge the Failed Emergency Clause. Voice vote taken and the motion failed. Roll call requested. Five hands were seen.
- **2021-10-04T17:16:35+00:00** Motion to Expunge the vote by which the Emergency Clause failed to pass failed.
- **2021-10-04T17:17:00+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House as passed with the Emergency Clause having failed of adoption.
- **2021-10-04T18:13:25+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2021-10-04T23:20:38+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`
- **2021-10-05T15:39:30+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2021-10-06T16:32:11+00:00** Motion to postpone vote temporarily passed
- **2021-10-06T19:49:42+00:00** Motion to take SB739 off the table passed
- **2021-10-06T19:49:56+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-10-06T19:50:13+00:00** Returned To the Senate as passed.
- **2021-10-07T01:00:47+00:00** Returned from the House as passed.
- **2021-10-07T01:00:51+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2021-10-07T15:35:57+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2021-10-07T15:36:00+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2021-10-13T15:00:00+00:00** Notification that SB739 is now Act 1115 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e105fe62-4abf-4e62-9557-854a9552438b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).