---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING ADOPTION; AND TO AMEND CERTAIN ADOPTION LAWS TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN MINOR AND ADULT ADOPTIONS."
description: "TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING ADOPTION; AND TO AMEND CERTAIN ADOPTION LAWS TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN MINOR AND ADULT ADOPTIONS."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 408"
citation: "Arkansas SB 408 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Burkes", "C. Penzo"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 18
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-03-13T18:22:29+00:00"
last_action: "2023-04-11T20:46:46+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9dca9744-fb81-42f8-b093-d92a1e8d8b8d"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "fd45f78d3201e47b925fc59236548727c238813315d310e8f7754360e5ca76a4"
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 408 (2023) — TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING ADOPTION; AND TO AMEND CERTAIN ADOPTION LAWS TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN MINOR AND ADULT ADOPTIONS.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 639** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=639.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB408-S1.pdf)
3. **SB 408** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB408.pdf)

## Votes

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

## Sponsors

- Burkes — primary (person)
- C. Penzo — primary (person)
- C. Tucker — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-03-13T18:22:29+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-03-13T21:10:49+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-27T18:35:42+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-28T19:05:56+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-28T19:06:02+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-03-28T20:35:26+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-03-29T19:02:22+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-29T19:02:29+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-03-29T21:05:14+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-03-29T23:33:44+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on AGING, CHILDREN AND YOUTH, LEGISLATIVE & MILITARY AFFAIRS- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-03T18:09:29+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-05T20:07:47+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-05T20:07:53+00:00** Returned To the Senate as passed.
- **2023-04-06T03:06:20+00:00** Returned from the House as passed.
- **2023-04-06T03:06:22+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-04-06T14:51:26+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-04-06T14:51:28+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-11T20:46:46+00:00** Notification that SB408 is now Act 639 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9dca9744-fb81-42f8-b093-d92a1e8d8b8d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).