---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO AMEND THE MEDICAID FAIRNESS ACT; TO EXTEND THE APPEAL PERIOD FOR PROVIDERS IN THE ARKANSAS MEDICAID PROGRAM; AND TO REQUIRE COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION IN NOTICES OF ADVERSE DECISIONS."
description: "TO AMEND THE MEDICAID FAIRNESS ACT; TO EXTEND THE APPEAL PERIOD FOR PROVIDERS IN THE ARKANSAS MEDICAID PROGRAM; AND TO REQUIRE COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION IN NOTICES OF ADVERSE DECISIONS."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 257"
citation: "Arkansas SB 257 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["C. Penzo", "Lundstrum"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 24
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-02-19T16:03:06+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-10T21:00:54+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/144bda82-28be-48f9-94e9-409571945e1d"
source_url: "https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument/?path=%2fSessionInformation%2LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "34b5eaa8aa84085e02db98a94530e7397b6c94f0fed572a46af961dedb5f8a64"
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 257 (2025) — TO AMEND THE MEDICAID FAIRNESS ACT; TO EXTEND THE APPEAL PERIOD FOR PROVIDERS IN THE ARKANSAS MEDICAID PROGRAM; AND TO REQUIRE COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION IN NOTICES OF ADVERSE DECISIONS.

## Version chain

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

1. **Act 515** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=515.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB257-H1.pdf)
3. **SB 257** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2025/2025R/Bills/SB257.pdf)

## Sponsors

- C. Penzo — primary (person)
- Lundstrum — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-19T16:03:06+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2025-02-19T19:41:20+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-02-25T19:55:56+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-02-26T20:06:51+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-26T20:07:00+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2025-02-26T21:10:21+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2025-02-26T23:37:58+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`
- **2025-03-19T13:34:29+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2025-03-19T13:34:31+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2025-03-19T21:19:17+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2025-04-01T18:22:14+00:00** Returned by the Committee Do Pass `committee-passage`
- **2025-04-02T20:30:06+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-02T20:30:17+00:00** Returned to Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2025-04-03T01:02:30+00:00** Returned from the House as passed as amended # 1 .
- **2025-04-03T01:02:41+00:00** Re-referred to INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-03T18:42:57+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass concur in House Amendment No. 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-07T18:33:15+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2025-04-07T18:33:30+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2025-04-07T18:33:36+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2025-04-07T18:33:45+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-07T18:33:50+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2025-04-08T14:37:57+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2025-04-08T14:38:03+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-10T21:00:54+00:00** Notification that SB257 is now Act 515 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/144bda82-28be-48f9-94e9-409571945e1d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).