# Arkansas SB439: TO AMEND THE DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND LICENSING; AND TO AMEND PORTIONS OF ARKANSAS CODE WHICH RESULTED FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1914. Arkansas SB439, TO AMEND THE DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND LICENSING; AND TO AMEND PORTIONS OF ARKANSAS CODE WHICH RESULTED FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1914., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Missy Irvin (Republican), Lee Johnson (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-04-18 (Notification that SB439 is now Act 737); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB439-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas SB439 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: TO AMEND THE DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND LICENSING; AND TO AMEND PORTIONS OF ARKANSAS CODE WHICH RESULTED FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1914. - Status: enacted - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-03-12 - Last action: 2025-04-18, Notification that SB439 is now Act 737 - Sponsors: Missy Irvin (Republican), Lee Johnson (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (131 yes, 1 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Employment agency license standards become simpler: benefit, low. The Secretary or a designee takes over specified employment-agency licensing and enforcement duties; the Division of Labor keeps its enforcement authority. Agencies, managers, and counselors no longer face denial for lacking “good moral character”; business integrity and financial responsibility re… - Secretary enforces quarry blasting safety rules: benefit, low. The Labor and Licensing Secretary or a designee takes over quarry and open-pit mine blasting enforcement. Existing civil penalties can reach $10,000 per violation, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately. The three-year limit for assessing penalties remains. The Secretary can see… - Secretary handles electrical safety enforcement: benefit, low. The Labor and Licensing Secretary or a designee takes over electrical-code enforcement duties. The official can ask a court to stop work performed without an applicable exemption or otherwise violating the law. The official can also seek license suspension or revocation through the Board of Electri… - Secretary oversees boiler and piping safety: benefit, low. The Secretary or a designee takes over boiler-safety duties, including monitoring-device approval, penalties, inspection staffing, and authorized vouchers. Covered boilers still need approved mechanical and electronic continuous monitoring. Boilers in operating plants or occupied public buildings g… - Secretary takes over amusement ride safety: benefit, low. The Secretary or a designee takes over amusement-ride inspections, fees, rules, and enforcement. Operators must report planned locations, dates, and times at least four days ahead, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Permanent operating rides receive two inspections each calendar year… - Lower offense level for labor violations: benefit, low. Covered labor-law offenses are classified as violations instead of misdemeanors when no other penalty applies. This includes violations of covered laws, lawful orders, and related court judgments. The change lowers the offense classification for affected employers and owners but sets no new fine. - Secretary handles permits for child performers: benefit, low. Children under 16 working in entertainment still need a state permit and written consent from a parent or guardian. The Labor and Licensing Secretary or a designee now handles permits and enforcement. The Secretary also determines which entertainment jobs or settings are hazardous or harmful to chi… - Labor Secretary takes over worker protections: benefit, low. Arkansas shifts labor-law duties from the Division of Labor Director to the Labor and Licensing Secretary or a designee. These include inspections, workplace correction orders, rules, mediation, and public employees’ chemical-information protections. The Secretary also takes over child-labor enforc… - Workplace insurance discount keeps existing minimum: benefit, low. The Insurance Commissioner now consults the Labor and Licensing Secretary or a designee when setting workplace-safety premium-credit criteria. The existing workers’ compensation premium credit for a drug-free workplace remains at least 5%. The Commissioner can make an exception upon finding the cre… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Missy Irvin (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Lee Johnson (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-14 | House | House Vote - Monday, April 14, 2025 3:27:05 PM | pass | 96 | 1 | | | 2025-04-07 | Senate | Senate Vote - Monday, April 7, 2025 1:53:58 PM | pass | 35 | 0 | | ## Actions (29) - 2025-04-18: Notification that SB439 is now Act 737 (Senate) - 2025-04-15: DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. (Senate) - 2025-04-15: Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor. (Senate) - 2025-04-14: ORDERED ENROLLED (Senate) - 2025-04-14: Returned from the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-14: Returned to the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-04-14: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-04-09: Returned by the Committee Do Pass (House) - 2025-04-07: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- HOUSE (House) - 2025-04-07: RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE (House) - 2025-04-07: Ordered immediately transmitted to the House. (Senate) - 2025-04-07: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-03: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-04-01: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Amendment # 3 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 3 (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-20: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 2 (Senate) - 2025-03-19: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-18: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-17: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1 (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Filed (Senate) ## Bill text - SB439 - Introduced, 2025-03-12: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB439.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=737.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) - HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS. (failed) - 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) - 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 - [SB439 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB439.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=737.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) - [HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1686-2025) - [HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1237-2025) - [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) - [Arkansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas/bills) - [Arkansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB439-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).