---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO ESTABLISH NURSING EARN-TO-LEARN PROGRAMS; AND TO AUTHORIZE A NURSING STUDENT TO EARN DIRECT PATIENT CARE CLINICAL CREDIT HOURS FOR WORKING IN A HEALTHCARE FACILITY IN CERTAIN JOBS."
description: "TO ESTABLISH NURSING EARN-TO-LEARN PROGRAMS; AND TO AUTHORIZE A NURSING STUDENT TO EARN DIRECT PATIENT CARE CLINICAL CREDIT HOURS FOR WORKING IN A HEALTHCARE FACILITY IN CERTAIN JOBS."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 299"
citation: "Arkansas SB 299 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Cavenaugh", "K. Hammer"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 23
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-02-21T19:02:05+00:00"
last_action: "2023-04-11T21:14:32+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1f978130-9d36-4e14-8a39-2eb6685f5e4b"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "9196572a6603ba6c06d51c043068e61f2c29c11a7d5458c30825ec107d60c3b9"
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 299 (2023) — TO ESTABLISH NURSING EARN-TO-LEARN PROGRAMS; AND TO AUTHORIZE A NURSING STUDENT TO EARN DIRECT PATIENT CARE CLINICAL CREDIT HOURS FOR WORKING IN A HEALTHCARE FACILITY IN CERTAIN JOBS.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 672** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=672.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB299-S1.pdf)
3. **Amendment S2** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB299-S2.pdf)
4. **SB 299** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB299.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed. — **35–0** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **98–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Cavenaugh — primary (person)
- K. Hammer — primary (person)
- Bentley — cosponsor (person)
- Vaught — cosponsor (person)
- Wardlaw — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-21T19:02:05+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-02-21T20:13:35+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-02-22T14:27:21+00:00** Withdrawn from Committee for purpose of amendment # 1
- **2023-02-22T14:27:25+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-02-22T14:27:31+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-02-22T19:21:32+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-02-22T19:21:40+00:00** Re-referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-27T18:43:09+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 2 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-28T19:05:32+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-28T19:05:39+00:00** Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-03-28T20:34:53+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-03-29T18:51:26+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-29T18:51:35+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-03-29T21:04:18+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-03-29T23:30:27+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`
- **2023-03-31T00:53:17+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-05T19:18:07+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-05T19:18:13+00:00** Returned To the Senate as passed.
- **2023-04-06T03:36:21+00:00** Returned from the House as passed.
- **2023-04-06T03:36:24+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-04-06T14:41:19+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-04-06T14:41:21+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-11T21:14:32+00:00** Notification that SB299 is now Act 672 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1f978130-9d36-4e14-8a39-2eb6685f5e4b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).