# Arkansas HB1713: TO REQUIRE BALLOT TITLES FOR INITIATED MEASURES TO BE AT OR UNDER A CERTAIN READING LEVEL; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

Arkansas HB1713, TO REQUIRE BALLOT TITLES FOR INITIATED MEASURES TO BE AT OR UNDER A CERTAIN READING LEVEL; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY., is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Mark Johnson (Republican), Ryan A. Rose (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-04-14 (Notification that HB1713 is now Act 602) (as of 2026-10-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1713-2025
- As of: 2026-10-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Arkansas HB1713
- State: Arkansas
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: TO REQUIRE BALLOT TITLES FOR INITIATED MEASURES TO BE AT OR UNDER A CERTAIN READING LEVEL; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
- Status: enacted
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-03-10
- Last action: 2025-04-14, Notification that HB1713 is now Act 602
- Sponsors: Mark Johnson (Republican), Ryan A. Rose (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 18
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 5 (294 yes, 97 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Arkansas ballot titles face new reading limits: mixed, low. Before petitions circulate, Arkansas’s attorney general cannot certify initiative or referendum ballot titles above an eighth-grade reading level. The test uses the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula as it existed on January 1, 2025. For rejections under this rule, the attorney general must explain…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Mark Johnson (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Ryan A. Rose (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Alan Clark (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Ronald Caldwell (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Cindy Crawford (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Dave Wallace (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Ben Gilmore (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: RJ Hawk (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Bart Hester (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Justin Boyd (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Joshua Bryant (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Kim Hammer (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Wayne Long (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Robin Lundstrum (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Matt McKee (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Richard McGrew (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: David Ray (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Stephen Meeks (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Kendon Underwood (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Steve Unger (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-08 | Senate | Senate Vote - Tuesday, April 8, 2025 9:26:24 PM | pass | 29 | 5 |   |
| 2025-03-19 | House | House Vote - Wednesday, March 19, 2025 2:09:25 PM | pass | 70 | 23 | 1 |
| 2025-03-19 | House | House Vote - Wednesday, March 19, 2025 2:09:10 PM | pass | 72 | 20 |   |
| 2025-03-18 | House | House Vote - Tuesday, March 18, 2025 2:29:36 PM | pass | 63 | 26 | 8 |
| 2025-03-18 | House | House Vote - Tuesday, March 18, 2025 2:29:18 PM | pass | 60 | 23 | 10 |

## Actions (20)

- 2025-04-14: Notification that HB1713 is now Act 602 (House)
- 2025-04-09: Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office. (House)
- 2025-04-09: TO BE ENROLLED (House)
- 2025-04-09: Returned from the Senate as passed. (House)
- 2025-04-08: Returned to the House as passed. (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: Read the third time and passed. (Senate)
- 2025-04-03: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate)
- 2025-03-19: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate)
- 2025-03-19: Received from the House. (Senate)
- 2025-03-19: EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED (House)
- 2025-03-19: Upon Motion, Reconsideraton of the Emergency Clause Passed (House)
- 2025-03-18: Emergency Clause Failed of Adoption (House)
- 2025-03-18: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House)
- 2025-03-17: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (House)
- 2025-03-17: Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. (House)
- 2025-03-17: Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment. (House)
- 2025-03-12: Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 (House)
- 2025-03-10: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- HOUSE (House)
- 2025-03-10: Filed (House)

## Bill text

- HB1713 - Introduced, 2025-03-10: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1713.pdf)
- Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=602.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R)

## Related bills

- HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. (enacted)
- HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO SET PENALTIES FOR A VIOLATION OF THE PROHIBITION OF SOLICITATION OF INJURED INDIV… (failed)
- HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS. (failed)
- SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE USE OF ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS; AND TO REGULATE ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES. (failed)
- HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO ALLOW A MUNICIPALITY TO PETITION TO SET ASIDE THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO CERTAIN P… (failed)
- HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO REQUIRE THAT A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BE SELECTED A… (failed)

## Sources
- [HB1713 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1713.pdf)
- [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=602.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R)

## Related
- [HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1265-2025)
- [HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1237-2025)
- [HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1686-2025)
- [SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE US…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB440-2025)
- [HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1695-2025)
- [HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HR1012-2025)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1713-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).