---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
description: "TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 194"
citation: "Arkansas SB 194 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Cavenaugh", "Hester"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 31
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-02-06T18:58:56+00:00"
last_action: "2023-03-14T18:16:14+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7c5783dd-7207-441c-930c-b860a8c649c7"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "3067fab0d1cbed3994d6c7ea0ee2c0efb2859df5b16b65c0d32b39c8a31a1b0b"
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 194 (2023) — TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 185** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=185.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB194-H1.pdf)
3. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB194-S1.pdf)
4. **Amendment S2** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB194-S2.pdf)
5. **SB 194** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB194.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **94–0** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed. — **34–0** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **35–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Cavenaugh — primary (person)
- Hester — primary (person)
- Painter — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-06T18:58:56+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-02-06T20:10:32+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-02-08T14:21:37+00:00** Withdrawn from Committee for purpose of amendment # 1
- **2023-02-08T14:21:42+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-08T14:21:49+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-02-08T19:19:21+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-02-08T19:19:28+00:00** Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-09T17:21:18+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-13T19:23:50+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-13T19:24:06+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-02-13T20:30:19+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-02-13T22:38:03+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-02-15T14:35:23+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-15T14:35:25+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-15T16:34:53+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-02-20T22:47:33+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-21T20:33:40+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-21T20:33:42+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2023-02-21T20:33:53+00:00** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-02-21T22:05:36+00:00** Returned From the House as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-02-21T22:05:55+00:00** Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-23T17:30:31+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-27T19:46:44+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-27T19:46:53+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2023-02-27T19:46:59+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-02-27T19:48:19+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-27T19:48:24+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2023-02-27T19:48:30+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-02-27T21:42:52+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-02-27T21:42:56+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-14T18:16:14+00:00** Notification that SB194 is now Act 185 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7c5783dd-7207-441c-930c-b860a8c649c7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).