---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO AMEND THE LAW WITH RESPECT TO CIRCUMSTANCES THAT JUSTIFY THE USE OF PHYSICAL FORCE UPON ANOTHER PERSON."
description: "TO AMEND THE LAW WITH RESPECT TO CIRCUMSTANCES THAT JUSTIFY THE USE OF PHYSICAL FORCE UPON ANOTHER PERSON."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 59"
citation: "Arkansas SB 59 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["J. Richardson", "L. Chesterfield"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 31
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-01-12T20:08:03+00:00"
last_action: "2023-03-01T22:15:49+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ab594386-37a7-4396-87b5-45bd02d81d7a"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "0c2552b6ee3a9effe64092b0b95b1dd89e1301c6a5aeb412284d9a2c6bef0b22"
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 59 (2023) — TO AMEND THE LAW WITH RESPECT TO CIRCUMSTANCES THAT JUSTIFY THE USE OF PHYSICAL FORCE UPON ANOTHER PERSON.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 165** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=165.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB59-H1.pdf)
3. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB59-S1.pdf)
4. **Amendment S2** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB59-S2.pdf)
5. **SB 59** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB59.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **91–0** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed. — **34–0** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **34–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- J. Richardson — primary (person)
- L. Chesterfield — primary (person)
- Achor — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-12T20:08:03+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-01-17T19:11:49+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-01-30T19:26:40+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-01-31T15:45:00+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-01-31T15:45:10+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-01-31T16:05:43+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-02-01T20:10:56+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-02-01T20:11:05+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-01T20:11:18+00:00** Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-02-01T20:40:41+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-02-01T20:40:56+00:00** Re-referred to JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-06T19:14:37+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-07T19:31:07+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-07T19:31:15+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-02-07T20:25:15+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-02-07T22:44:05+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`
- **2023-02-16T17:18:26+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-20T19:40:37+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-20T19:40:40+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-20T19:53:20+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-02-21T20:19:48+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-21T20:19:59+00:00** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-02-21T22:04:52+00:00** Returned From the House as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-02-23T17:31:17+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-23T17:32:19+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2023-02-23T17:32:26+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-02-23T17:32:36+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-23T17:32:41+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-02-23T20:57:03+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-02-23T20:57:08+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-01T22:15:49+00:00** Notification that SB59 is now Act 165 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ab594386-37a7-4396-87b5-45bd02d81d7a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).