---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL; AND TO PROVIDE FOR AN EXCUSED ABSENCE FOR A STUDENT WHO ACCOMPANIES THE STUDENT'S PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN TO VOTE."
description: "TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL; AND TO PROVIDE FOR AN EXCUSED ABSENCE FOR A STUDENT WHO ACCOMPANIES THE STUDENT'S PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN TO VOTE."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 285"
citation: "Arkansas SB 285 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["C. Tucker", "Hudson"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 18
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-02-17T21:52:40+00:00"
last_action: "2023-04-11T20:38:43+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b303093d-8308-4e02-92a4-9c9390514623"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "167580a8ce97e932047f913466c657137cf85469cd58dc9f9e908cc877d43983"
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 285 (2023) — TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL; AND TO PROVIDE FOR AN EXCUSED ABSENCE FOR A STUDENT WHO ACCOMPANIES THE STUDENT'S PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN TO VOTE.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 621** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=621.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB285-S1.pdf)
3. **Amendment S2** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB285-S2.pdf)
4. **SB 285** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB285.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **95–0** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed. — **35–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- C. Tucker — primary (person)
- Hudson — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-17T21:52:40+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-02-20T19:30:31+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-27T18:27:48+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 2 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-28T19:05:08+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-28T19:05:14+00:00** Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-03-28T20:34:40+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-03-29T18:52:04+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-29T18:52:11+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-03-29T21:04:03+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-03-29T23:29:45+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-04T18:02:46+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-05T23:53:01+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-05T23:53:09+00:00** Returned To the Senate as passed.
- **2023-04-06T03:16:08+00:00** Returned from the House as passed.
- **2023-04-06T03:16:11+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-04-06T14:40:49+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-04-06T14:40:51+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-11T20:38:43+00:00** Notification that SB285 is now Act 621 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/b303093d-8308-4e02-92a4-9c9390514623`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).