---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO REPEAL THE LICENSING REQUIREMENT OF CLINICS AND HEALTH CENTERS IN WHICH A PREGNANCY OF A WOMAN KNOWN TO BE PREGNANT IS WILLFULLY TERMINATED OR ABORTED; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
description: "TO REPEAL THE LICENSING REQUIREMENT OF CLINICS AND HEALTH CENTERS IN WHICH A PREGNANCY OF A WOMAN KNOWN TO BE PREGNANT IS WILLFULLY TERMINATED OR ABORTED; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 138"
citation: "Arkansas SB 138 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Burkes", "Irvin"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 27
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-01-26T16:46:54+00:00"
last_action: "2023-03-01T22:15:05+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/dcc6109f-e26f-40a6-b6c1-3ada0c514435"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "582a1e16d0d090f9dfbeb5045b4f61856128b3518fe859cf21e1a3f0d9c03160"
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 138 (2023) — TO REPEAL THE LICENSING REQUIREMENT OF CLINICS AND HEALTH CENTERS IN WHICH A PREGNANCY OF A WOMAN KNOWN TO BE PREGNANT IS WILLFULLY TERMINATED OR ABORTED; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 162** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=162.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB138-H1.pdf)
3. **SB 138** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB138.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **85–8** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed. — **29–4** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **29–6** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Burkes — primary (person)
- Irvin — primary (person)
- B. Davis — cosponsor (person)
- B. Johnson — cosponsor (person)
- Beaty Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Crowell — cosponsor (person)
- Dees — cosponsor (person)
- Flippo — cosponsor (person)
- Gilmore — cosponsor (person)
- Hickey — cosponsor (person)
- Hill — cosponsor (person)
- L. Johnson — cosponsor (person)
- M. McKee — cosponsor (person)
- Wardlaw — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-26T16:46:54+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-01-26T17:50:22+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-02-01T19:12:04+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-07T19:39:43+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-07T19:39:52+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-02-07T20:26:06+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-02-07T22:44:51+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`
- **2023-02-09T19:22:39+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-14T14:30:23+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-14T14:30:25+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-14T16:49:42+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-02-15T20:23:46+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-15T20:23:48+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2023-02-15T20:23:53+00:00** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-02-15T22:50:14+00:00** Returned from the House as passed.
- **2023-02-15T22:50:22+00:00** AS AMENDED, Amendment # 1
- **2023-02-15T22:50:32+00:00** Re-referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-22T19:29:56+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-23T17:33:25+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-23T17:33:31+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2023-02-23T17:33:37+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-02-23T17:33:49+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-23T17:34:14+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2023-02-23T17:34:21+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-02-23T20:57:58+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-02-23T20:58:03+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-01T22:15:05+00:00** Notification that SB138 is now Act 162 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/dcc6109f-e26f-40a6-b6c1-3ada0c514435`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).