---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING DEATH CERTIFICATES; AND TO CLARIFY THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WHO MAY SIGN A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH AND PRONOUNCE DEATH OF A PATIENT."
description: "TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING DEATH CERTIFICATES; AND TO CLARIFY THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WHO MAY SIGN A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH AND PRONOUNCE DEATH OF A PATIENT."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 1734"
citation: "Arkansas HB 1734 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Childress", "K. Hammer"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 22
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-03-11T17:58:56+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-17T20:48:27+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e45ee2d2-7376-48e4-afe5-f78f7b9379e9"
source_url: "https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument/?path=%2fSessionInformation%2LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "2405efb61570be63595a284757071782ce1f86ce507e9135f3dd7bd240daa7c4"
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 1734 (2025) — TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING DEATH CERTIFICATES; AND TO CLARIFY THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WHO MAY SIGN A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH AND PRONOUNCE DEATH OF A PATIENT.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 862** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=862.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1734-H1.pdf)
3. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1734-S1.pdf)
4. **HB 1734** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2025/2025R/Bills/HB1734.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Childress — primary (person)
- K. Hammer — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-03-11T17:58:56+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2025-03-11T21:58:10+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`
- **2025-03-13T18:28:03+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-17T13:44:29+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2025-03-17T13:44:31+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2025-03-17T17:59:24+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2025-03-19T19:21:23+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-20T00:33:30+00:00** Received from the House.
- **2025-03-20T00:33:40+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-04-07T18:45:54+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-08T12:47:40+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2025-04-08T12:47:46+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2025-04-08T18:28:13+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2025-04-10T00:51:39+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-10T00:51:52+00:00** Returned to the House as passed as amended # 1 .
- **2025-04-10T01:54:59+00:00** Returned from Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2025-04-10T01:55:12+00:00** Re-referred to the Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE- HOUSE `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-10T20:17:05+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass, concur in Senate Amendment No. 1 `committee-passage`
- **2025-04-14T19:49:26+00:00** Senate amendment # 1 read and concurred in.
- **2025-04-14T19:49:28+00:00** TO BE ENROLLED
- **2025-04-15T15:51:09+00:00** Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office.
- **2025-04-17T20:48:27+00:00** Notification that HB1734 is now Act 862 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e45ee2d2-7376-48e4-afe5-f78f7b9379e9`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).