---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO PROHIBIT RACE-SELECTION ABORTION IN THIS STATE; AND TO CREATE THE RACE DISCRIMINATION BY ABORTION PROHIBITION ACT."
description: "TO PROHIBIT RACE-SELECTION ABORTION IN THIS STATE; AND TO CREATE THE RACE DISCRIMINATION BY ABORTION PROHIBITION ACT."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 591"
citation: "Arkansas SB 591 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["C. Penzo", "K. Brown"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 22
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-03-31T21:18:56+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-23T21:51:22+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1cf88482-f425-49ae-869f-a0bf044fda47"
source_url: "https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument/?path=%2fSessionInformation%2LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "0a88f6c4268390a5fd7674e60fdc32ab038c04ce8e90c1eb694d9695159d6c5c"
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 591 (2025) — TO PROHIBIT RACE-SELECTION ABORTION IN THIS STATE; AND TO CREATE THE RACE DISCRIMINATION BY ABORTION PROHIBITION ACT.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 973** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=973.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R)
2. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB591-S1.pdf)
3. **SB 591** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2025/2025R/Bills/SB591.pdf)

## Sponsors

- C. Penzo — primary (person)
- K. Brown — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-03-31T21:18:56+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2025-03-31T22:42:19+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-04-07T18:46:41+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-08T23:24:03+00:00** Read the third time and failed. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-08T23:39:38+00:00** Motion to Expunge the Vote by which SB591 failed. Motion Carried.
- **2025-04-09T19:41:50+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2025-04-09T19:41:55+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2025-04-09T19:42:02+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2025-04-09T20:26:18+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2025-04-10T02:05:11+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2025-04-10T02:54:14+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-10T02:54:39+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2025-04-10T14:54:40+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2025-04-10T23:40:31+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`
- **2025-04-15T18:32:30+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2025-04-16T17:35:12+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-16T17:35:38+00:00** Returned to the Senate as passed.
- **2025-04-16T19:04:31+00:00** Returned from the House as passed.
- **2025-04-16T19:04:39+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2025-04-16T20:34:11+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2025-04-16T20:34:18+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-23T21:51:22+00:00** Notification that SB591 is now Act 973 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1cf88482-f425-49ae-869f-a0bf044fda47`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).