---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO ALLOW FULL INDEPENDENT PRACTICE AUTHORITY FOR CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALISTS; AND TO ALLOW EXPERIENCE IN ANOTHER STATE TO QUALIFY."
description: "TO ALLOW FULL INDEPENDENT PRACTICE AUTHORITY FOR CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALISTS; AND TO ALLOW EXPERIENCE IN ANOTHER STATE TO QUALIFY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 79"
citation: "Arkansas SB 79 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["K. Hammer", "L. Johnson"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 32
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-01-19T16:16:45+00:00"
last_action: "2023-04-12T14:10:18+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1d4265ff-60d1-4a78-93b4-4845db1cfa49"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "4c16be0230515210fb7bb47e678841d9d67ce2d6ac9cf37af88697d7bf7240a4"
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 79 (2023) — TO ALLOW FULL INDEPENDENT PRACTICE AUTHORITY FOR CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALISTS; AND TO ALLOW EXPERIENCE IN ANOTHER STATE TO QUALIFY.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 872** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=872.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB79-H1.pdf)
3. **Amendment H2** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB79-H2.pdf)
4. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB79-S1.pdf)
5. **SB 79** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB79.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed. — **33–0** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **34–0** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **93–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- K. Hammer — primary (person)
- L. Johnson — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-19T16:16:45+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-01-19T16:28:40+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-06T19:25:01+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-07T19:29:09+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-07T19:29:21+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-03-07T21:43:08+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-03-08T19:53:10+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-08T19:53:45+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-03-08T20:58:05+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-03-08T22:37:23+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-09T18:22:16+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-13T13:32:27+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-13T13:32:29+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2023-03-13T15:34:57+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-03-16T19:36:51+00:00** Re-referred to the Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE- HOUSE `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-31T00:55:17+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 2 `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-03T13:46:54+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2023-04-03T13:46:56+00:00** Amendment No. 2 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2023-04-03T19:20:48+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-04-05T19:29:04+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-05T19:29:16+00:00** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1 & 2
- **2023-04-06T00:26:24+00:00** Returned From the House as passed, as amended # 1 & 2
- **2023-04-06T00:26:31+00:00** Re-referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-06T16:10:17+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass concur in House Amendment No. 1 & 2 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-06T22:11:40+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-04-06T22:11:52+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 & 2 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2023-04-06T22:11:57+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-04-06T22:12:08+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-06T22:12:13+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-04-07T19:02:23+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-04-07T19:02:25+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-12T14:10:18+00:00** Notification that SB79 is now Act 872 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1d4265ff-60d1-4a78-93b4-4845db1cfa49`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).