---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT FOR NOTARIZATION FOR REQUESTS FOR CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR THE LICENSING OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
description: "TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT FOR NOTARIZATION FOR REQUESTS FOR CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR THE LICENSING OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 212"
citation: "Arkansas SB 212 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Irvin", "L. Johnson"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 17
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-02-07T17:33:23+00:00"
last_action: "2023-03-14T18:16:32+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f9ff696b-c6f9-4cc4-b09a-f0266bafb778"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "58d8424f5975a0643adeab12235274beef2e1a3146820e863a170da510a07e00"
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 212 (2023) — TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT FOR NOTARIZATION FOR REQUESTS FOR CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR THE LICENSING OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 186** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=186.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **SB 212** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB212.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed. — **34–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Irvin — primary (person)
- L. Johnson — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-07T17:33:23+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-02-07T19:15:58+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-02-15T19:24:45+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-16T17:36:03+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-16T17:36:08+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2023-02-16T17:36:15+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-02-16T19:19:13+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-02-16T22:38:17+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`
- **2023-02-21T17:59:41+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-27T20:20:32+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-27T20:20:34+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2023-02-27T20:20:42+00:00** Returned To the Senate as passed.
- **2023-02-27T21:25:53+00:00** Returned from the House as passed.
- **2023-02-27T21:25:58+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-02-27T21:40:05+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-02-27T21:40:09+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-14T18:16:32+00:00** Notification that SB212 is now Act 186 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f9ff696b-c6f9-4cc4-b09a-f0266bafb778`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).