---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO CREATE THE PROTECT ARKANSAS ACT; TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING SENTENCING AND PAROLE; TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING CERTAIN CRIMINAL OFFENSES; AND TO CREATE THE LEGISLATIVE RECIDIVISM REDUCTION TASK FORCE."
description: "TO CREATE THE PROTECT ARKANSAS ACT; TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING SENTENCING AND PAROLE; TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING CERTAIN CRIMINAL OFFENSES; AND TO CREATE THE LEGISLATIVE RECIDIVISM REDUCTION TASK FORCE."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 495"
citation: "Arkansas SB 495 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Gazaway", "Gilmore"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 27
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-03-27T22:13:13+00:00"
last_action: "2023-04-11T21:03:49+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/cda274f8-94f9-433a-a63d-74d25fed5b02"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "7d03157cdd22817c37ecb322df52dc2cfb3b1e28a10396399be955e8cfa2b27e"
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 495 (2023) — TO CREATE THE PROTECT ARKANSAS ACT; TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING SENTENCING AND PAROLE; TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING CERTAIN CRIMINAL OFFENSES; AND TO CREATE THE LEGISLATIVE RECIDIVISM REDUCTION TASK FORCE.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 659** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=659.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB495-H1.pdf)
3. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB495-S1.pdf)
4. **SB 495** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB495.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed. — **28–4** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **29–5** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **82–14** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Gazaway — primary (person)
- Gilmore — primary (person)
- A. Clark — cosponsor (person)
- Achor — cosponsor (person)
- Andrews — cosponsor (person)
- B. Davis — cosponsor (person)
- B. Johnson — cosponsor (person)
- B. McKenzie — cosponsor (person)
- Barker — cosponsor (person)
- Beaty Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Beck — cosponsor (person)
- Bentley — cosponsor (person)
- Breaux — cosponsor (person)
- Brooks — cosponsor (person)
- Burkes — cosponsor (person)
- C. Cooper — cosponsor (person)
- C. Fite — cosponsor (person)
- C. Penzo — cosponsor (person)
- Caldwell — cosponsor (person)
- Cavenaugh — cosponsor (person)
- Cozart — cosponsor (person)
- Crawford — cosponsor (person)
- Crowell — cosponsor (person)
- D. Wallace — cosponsor (person)
- Dalby — cosponsor (person)
- Dees — cosponsor (person)
- Duffield — cosponsor (person)
- Eaves — cosponsor (person)
- Eubanks — cosponsor (person)
- Evans — cosponsor (person)
- Flippo — cosponsor (person)
- Fortner — cosponsor (person)
- Furman — cosponsor (person)
- G. Hodges — cosponsor (person)
- G. Stubblefield — cosponsor (person)
- Gramlich — cosponsor (person)
- Haak — cosponsor (person)
- Hawk — cosponsor (person)
- Hester — cosponsor (person)
- Hill — cosponsor (person)
- Holcomb — cosponsor (person)
- Hollowell — cosponsor (person)
- Irvin — cosponsor (person)
- J. Boyd — cosponsor (person)
- J. Bryant — cosponsor (person)
- J. Dismang — cosponsor (person)
- J. English — cosponsor (person)
- J. Moore — cosponsor (person)
- J. Petty — cosponsor (person)
- Joey Carr — cosponsor (person)
- John Carr — cosponsor (person)
- K. Brown — cosponsor (person)
- K. Hammer — cosponsor (person)
- L. Fite — cosponsor (person)
- L. Johnson — cosponsor (person)
- Ladyman — cosponsor (person)
- Lundstrum — cosponsor (person)
- M. Berry — cosponsor (person)
- M. Brown — cosponsor (person)
- M. Johnson — cosponsor (person)
- M. McKee — cosponsor (person)
- M. Shepherd — cosponsor (person)
- Maddox — cosponsor (person)
- McAlindon — cosponsor (person)
- McCollum — cosponsor (person)
- McGrew — cosponsor (person)
- McNair — cosponsor (person)
- Milligan — cosponsor (person)
- Painter — cosponsor (person)
- Pearce — cosponsor (person)
- Pilkington — cosponsor (person)
- R. Scott Richardson — cosponsor (person)
- Ray — cosponsor (person)
- Rice — cosponsor (person)
- Richmond — cosponsor (person)
- Rose — cosponsor (person)
- Rye — cosponsor (person)
- S. Berry — cosponsor (person)
- S. Meeks — cosponsor (person)
- Schulz — cosponsor (person)
- Steimel — cosponsor (person)
- Stone — cosponsor (person)
- Tosh — cosponsor (person)
- Underwood — cosponsor (person)
- Vaught — cosponsor (person)
- Walker — cosponsor (person)
- Wardlaw — cosponsor (person)
- Warren — cosponsor (person)
- Watson — cosponsor (person)
- Wing — cosponsor (person)
- Wooldridge — cosponsor (person)
- Wooten — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-03-27T22:13:13+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-03-27T22:44:35+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-30T18:14:55+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-30T19:13:03+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-30T19:13:16+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-03-30T21:39:17+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-04-03T19:25:28+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-03T19:25:34+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-04-03T22:56:15+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-04-04T00:45:27+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on JUDICIARY COMMITTEE- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-05T18:19:03+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-05T19:21:57+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2023-04-05T19:22:10+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2023-04-05T21:45:55+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-04-06T19:47:34+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-06T19:47:57+00:00** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-04-06T22:56:47+00:00** Returned from the House as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-04-06T22:59:37+00:00** Re-referred to JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-06T23:38:19+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass concur in House Amendment No. 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-07T14:44:47+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-04-07T14:44:57+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2023-04-07T14:45:01+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-04-07T14:45:11+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-07T14:45:14+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-04-07T19:05:57+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-04-07T19:06:00+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-11T21:03:49+00:00** Notification that SB495 is now Act 659 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/cda274f8-94f9-433a-a63d-74d25fed5b02`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).