---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO REQUIRE A VENDOR THAT CONTRACTS WITH THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS DIVISION TO SUBMIT DATA FOR VERIFICATION BY AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT; TO IMPOSE A CIVIL PENALTY ON A VENDOR THAT PROVIDES INACCURATE DATA; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
description: "TO REQUIRE A VENDOR THAT CONTRACTS WITH THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS DIVISION TO SUBMIT DATA FOR VERIFICATION BY AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT; TO IMPOSE A CIVIL PENALTY ON A VENDOR THAT PROVIDES INACCURATE DATA; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 491"
citation: "Arkansas SB 491 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Achor", "K. Hammer"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 28
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-03-17T21:39:19+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-22T21:45:14+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6c64088c-6a55-446c-8cbd-2044effad8ba"
source_url: "https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument/?path=%2fSessionInformation%2LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "efc0859a8288d14b2e73138d0e86f9d64cc9ba076de7599988b7770fa9caee5c"
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 491 (2025) — TO REQUIRE A VENDOR THAT CONTRACTS WITH THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS DIVISION TO SUBMIT DATA FOR VERIFICATION BY AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT; TO IMPOSE A CIVIL PENALTY ON A VENDOR THAT PROVIDES INACCURATE DATA; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 956** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=956.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB491-H1.pdf)
3. **SB 491** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2025/2025R/Bills/SB491.pdf)

## Sponsors

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

## Timeline

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

- **2025-03-17T21:39:19+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2025-03-17T23:09:13+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-20T18:56:31+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-31T20:47:08+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-31T20:47:14+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2025-03-31T20:47:25+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2025-03-31T22:39:25+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2025-04-01T02:23:46+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2025-04-14T21:27:08+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2025-04-15T13:32:05+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2025-04-15T13:32:07+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2025-04-15T14:39:31+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2025-04-16T15:34:11+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-16T15:34:13+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2025-04-16T15:34:22+00:00** Returned to Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2025-04-16T17:17:45+00:00** Returned from the House as passed as amended # 1 .
- **2025-04-16T17:18:01+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2025-04-16T17:18:08+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2025-04-16T17:18:14+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2025-04-16T17:18:19+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2025-04-16T17:18:36+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-16T17:18:52+00:00** Emergency Clause failed of adoption.
- **2025-04-16T17:19:23+00:00** Motion to Expunge the Vote by which Emergency Clause failed of adoption. Motion carried.
- **2025-04-16T17:19:42+00:00** EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
- **2025-04-16T17:19:50+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2025-04-16T19:20:01+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2025-04-16T19:20:04+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-22T21:45:14+00:00** Notification that SB491 is now Act 956 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6c64088c-6a55-446c-8cbd-2044effad8ba`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).