---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO CONSOLIDATE AGRICULTURE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS; TO ABOLISH CERTAIN BOARDS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; TO TRANSFER THE DUTIES OF CERTAIN BOARDS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
description: "TO CONSOLIDATE AGRICULTURE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS; TO ABOLISH CERTAIN BOARDS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; TO TRANSFER THE DUTIES OF CERTAIN BOARDS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 403"
citation: "Arkansas SB 403 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["B. Johnson", "Vaught"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 22
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-03-09T21:22:20+00:00"
last_action: "2023-04-11T21:22:36+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/702c4a85-381a-4c62-aa8d-66c9206d0a32"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "25c360c0f107db4752ce3df26b52830233a1265a3430be2ff16fbf7581dadf45"
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 403 (2023) — TO CONSOLIDATE AGRICULTURE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS; TO ABOLISH CERTAIN BOARDS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; TO TRANSFER THE DUTIES OF CERTAIN BOARDS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 691** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=691.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB403-S1.pdf)
3. **SB 403** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB403.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed. — **33–1** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **68–11** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- B. Johnson — primary (person)
- Vaught — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-03-09T21:22:20+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-03-09T21:35:12+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-14T18:29:38+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-27T19:45:38+00:00** Re-referred to AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-28T18:41:52+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-29T18:48:55+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-29T18:49:01+00:00** Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-03-29T22:20:19+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-03-30T20:25:26+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-30T20:25:29+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2023-03-30T20:25:37+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-03-30T23:01:41+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-03-31T01:40:45+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-03T17:24:30+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-05T19:40:18+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-05T19:40:21+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2023-04-05T19:40:28+00:00** Returned To the Senate as passed.
- **2023-04-06T03:40:01+00:00** Returned from the House as passed.
- **2023-04-06T03:40:06+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-04-06T14:50:52+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-04-06T14:50:54+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-11T21:22:36+00:00** Notification that SB403 is now Act 691 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/702c4a85-381a-4c62-aa8d-66c9206d0a32`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).