# Arkansas SB442: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING HUMAN TRAFFICKING; TO PROVIDE FOR FORFEITURE OF ASSETS USED TO CONDUCT HUMAN TRAFFICKING; AND TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF HARBORING AN ENDANGERED RUNAWAY CHILD. Arkansas SB442, TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING HUMAN TRAFFICKING; TO PROVIDE FOR FORFEITURE OF ASSETS USED TO CONDUCT HUMAN TRAFFICKING; AND TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF HARBORING AN ENDANGERED RUNAWAY CHILD., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Joshua Bryant (Republican), Mindy McAlindon (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-04-18 (Notification that SB442 is now Act 667); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB442-2025 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas SB442 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING HUMAN TRAFFICKING; TO PROVIDE FOR FORFEITURE OF ASSETS USED TO CONDUCT HUMAN TRAFFICKING; AND TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF HARBORING AN ENDANGERED RUNAWAY CHILD. - Status: enacted - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-03-12 - Last action: 2025-04-18, Notification that SB442 is now Act 667 - Sponsors: Joshua Bryant (Republican), Mindy McAlindon (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (127 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 12 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Owners get court safeguards against forfeiture: benefit, medium. Civil forfeiture generally requires a related felony conviction under the Human Trafficking Act. Prosecutors must prove an exception by clear and convincing evidence, such as death, deportation, flight, abandoned ownership, or written agreement. Courts must provide notice and hearings, with 30 days… - State police add trafficking investigation team: benefit, low. The law creates a State Police Human Trafficking Operations Unit with officers and analysts. It investigates sex trafficking, forced labor, and high-risk missing-child cases. New coordinator and analyst roles support investigations, data reporting, public awareness, local task forces, and grant app… - Sexual solicitation brings fines and felonies: cost, high. A first sexual solicitation offense is a Class A misdemeanor; a second or later offense is a Class D felony. The offense includes offering or agreeing to pay for sex, or requesting sexual activity in return for a fee. Convictions for offering, agreeing, or paying for sex require a $2,500 fine, adde… - Agencies face federal forfeiture account limits: cost, low. Agencies and prosecutors must keep federal forfeiture money and its interest in a separate, audited account. Only federal forfeiture receipts and that account's interest may be held there. Money can support only law enforcement and prosecution, consistent with federal law. Any balance exceeding $25… - Agencies lose funding for missing records: cost, low. Seizing agencies must send detailed confiscation reports to the prosecutor and trafficking coordinator within three business days. An audit finding of missing reports or improper property accounting blocks forfeiture receipts and specified support-fund grants. Officials must appear before the Legis… - Trafficking cases can cost owners property: mixed, high. The law allows forfeiture of trafficking-related vehicles, records, computers, money, weapons, proceeds, and real estate. Owners without knowledge of the prohibited use, qualifying lenders, and common carriers have protections. The state must prove the property qualifies by a preponderance of the e… - Harboring runaway children brings new penalties: mixed, medium. The law creates an offense for knowingly harboring an endangered runaway minor for at least 72 hours. The unemancipated child must also have voluntarily left home for at least 72 hours without a compelling reason or custodial consent. A first offense is a Class A misdemeanor; later offenses are Cla… - Local funds can help officer families: mixed, low. Each law-enforcement agency and prosecutor has a human trafficking control fund. Money supports only law enforcement and prosecution and cannot replace other local, state, or federal funding. A fund may give up to $1,000 to an officer's family when the officer dies in the prosecutor's jurisdiction.… - Victim funding shifts to shared fund: mixed, low. The new Arkansas Human Trafficking Council Support Fund, run by State Police, supports trafficking victims' services and treatment. Grants can go to nonprofit, religious, and other organizations providing that help. Money also supports unit training, equipment, software, travel, and outreach, but c… - Agencies face limits on seized property: mixed, low. After forfeiture, courts can approve official use, public sale, or transfer of a vehicle to a school for driver education. Retained personal property generally must be sold within two years. Longer official use requires court approval each year, based on actual law-enforcement or prosecutorial use.… - Forfeiture money faces local funding limits: mixed, low. Forfeiture money enters prosecutors' asset forfeiture funds for law enforcement and prosecution, paying valid liens and case expenses first. County deposits above $20,000 in a calendar year require notice to circuit judges and the trafficking coordinator within 14 days. After notice, 20% of additio… - Offense revenues shift toward trafficking response: mixed, low. Listed trafficking, prostitution, and sexual solicitation fines now support the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council Support Fund instead of earlier fund allocations. This redirects revenue away from the Safe Harbor and Human Trafficking Victim Support funds. Agencies must also send prostitution-rela… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Joshua Bryant (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Mindy McAlindon (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-09 | House | House Vote - Wednesday, April 9, 2025 8:42:11 PM | pass | 94 | 0 | | | 2025-04-02 | Senate | Senate Vote - Wednesday, April 2, 2025 2:43:39 PM | pass | 33 | 0 | | ## Actions (18) - 2025-04-18: Notification that SB442 is now Act 667 (Senate) - 2025-04-10: DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. (Senate) - 2025-04-10: Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor. (Senate) - 2025-04-09: ORDERED ENROLLED (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Returned from the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Returned to the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-04-09: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-04-08: Returned by the Committee Do Pass (House) - 2025-04-02: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on JUDICIARY COMMITTEE- HOUSE (House) - 2025-04-02: RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE (House) - 2025-04-02: Ordered immediately transmitted to the House. (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-01: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment. (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1 (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Filed (Senate) ## Bill text - SB442 - Introduced, 2025-03-12: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB442.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=667.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 - [SB442 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB442.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=667.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-SB442-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).