---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO ESTABLISH THE CERTIFIED COMMUNITY-BASED DOULA CERTIFICATION ACT; AND TO CERTIFY BIRTH AND POSTPARTUM DOULAS IN THIS STATE TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND INFANT OUTCOMES."
description: "TO ESTABLISH THE CERTIFIED COMMUNITY-BASED DOULA CERTIFICATION ACT; AND TO CERTIFY BIRTH AND POSTPARTUM DOULAS IN THIS STATE TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND INFANT OUTCOMES."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 1252"
citation: "Arkansas HB 1252 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Irvin", "L. Johnson"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 22
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-01-27T20:40:27+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-21T16:44:52+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1d0ceaa5-5388-405a-9d58-d7d6cd028a97"
source_url: "https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument/?path=%2fSessionInformation%2LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "8bd420b34bae7cc8ad72e7d40ca4b7ab75042f4af53382bbd94ef01389f108bc"
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 HB 1252 (2025) — TO ESTABLISH THE CERTIFIED COMMUNITY-BASED DOULA CERTIFICATION ACT; AND TO CERTIFY BIRTH AND POSTPARTUM DOULAS IN THIS STATE TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND INFANT OUTCOMES.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 965** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=965.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1252-H1.pdf)
3. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1252-S1.pdf)
4. **HB 1252** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2025/2025R/Bills/HB1252.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Irvin — primary (person)
- L. Johnson — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-27T20:40:27+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2025-01-27T23:52:20+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`
- **2025-02-13T14:29:57+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2025-02-13T14:30:00+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-13T16:57:16+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2025-03-13T18:28:19+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-17T19:26:53+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-17T23:11:11+00:00** Received from the House.
- **2025-03-17T23:11:19+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-04-03T22:11:42+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2025-04-03T22:11:49+00:00** Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1
- **2025-04-03T22:11:56+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2025-04-03T22:59:30+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2025-04-03T22:59:39+00:00** Re-referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-09T18:44:35+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-10T20:40:24+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-10T20:40:38+00:00** Returned to the House as passed as amended # 1 .
- **2025-04-10T23:19:57+00:00** Returned from Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2025-04-15T19:42:30+00:00** Senate amendment # 1 read and concurred in.
- **2025-04-15T19:42:32+00:00** TO BE ENROLLED
- **2025-04-16T13:43:50+00:00** Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office.
- **2025-04-21T16:44:52+00:00** Notification that HB1252 is now Act 965 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1d0ceaa5-5388-405a-9d58-d7d6cd028a97`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).