All Roll Calls
Yes: 110 • No: 18
ArkansasSB4442025 Regular SessionSenate
TO AMEND THE MEDICAL ETHICS AND DIVERSITY ACT.
Sponsored By: Kim Hammer (Republican), Lee Johnson (Republican)
Enacted
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Practitioner complaints get deadlines and review
A board, entity, or the Arkansas Department of Health must give practitioners complaints that could revoke their license, certification, or registration. The deadline is 21 days after the body receives the complaint. Practitioners are entitled to a $500 administrative penalty for each day the complaint remains unprovided after that deadline. Complaints by one medical practitioner against another must use the peer review process required by the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986. The law uses that federal act as it stood on January 1, 2025.
Medical practitioners gain protected speech safeguards
State licensing bodies and the Arkansas Department of Health cannot discipline or discriminate against medical practitioners for First Amendment-protected speech, expression, or association. This includes revoking or threatening to revoke a license, certification, or registration. An exception requires clear and convincing evidence that the conduct directly caused physical harm to someone with a practitioner-patient relationship within the three years before the harm. Arkansas local governments cannot contract with or approve credentialing groups that revoke or refuse credentials because of protected expression, or require individuals to obtain those groups' credentials. This local-government restriction does not apply when the individual gave medical advice or treatment to a specific patient that caused that patient physical harm.
Medical workers gain rights to refuse
Medical employees and contractors can refuse to help in any way with abortion, assisted suicide, or gender-transition procedures or services. This right is subject to the law's emergency-care rule. It does not cover abortions performed in accordance with the Arkansas Human Life Protection Act and Arkansas Unborn Child Protection Act. Hospital emergency care does not violate this act when required by federal law, 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd, as it stood on January 1, 2025. That care must also follow both named Arkansas laws.
Healthcare workers gain whistleblower protections
Medical research now counts as a healthcare service under the act throughout a patient's treatment. Healthcare providers are protected from discrimination for reporting reasonably suspected violations of this act to covered employers or government agencies. They are also protected for taking part in related proceedings. Researchers, physicians, and healthcare providers directly involved in research or care gain protection for disclosures they reasonably believe show healthcare or research law violations, gross mismanagement or waste, abuse of authority, risky treatments, or substantial and specific public-health or safety dangers. This disclosure protection does not cover information that a law specifically forbids sharing.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsors
Kim Hammer
Republican • Senate
Lee Johnson
Republican • House
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 4/16/2025
House Vote - Wednesday, April 16, 2025 11:18:17 AM
Yes: 82 • No: 13 • Other: 2
Senate vote • 4/3/2025
Senate Vote - Thursday, April 3, 2025 3:14:04 PM
Yes: 28 • No: 5
Actions Timeline
Notification that SB444 is now Act 970
4/22/2025SenateDELIVERED TO GOVERNOR.
4/16/2025SenateReported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
4/16/2025SenateORDERED ENROLLED
4/16/2025SenateReturned from the House as passed.
4/16/2025SenateReturned to the Senate as passed.
4/16/2025HouseRead the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
4/16/2025HouseReturned by the Committee Do Pass
4/15/2025HouseRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE- HOUSE
4/3/2025HouseRECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
4/3/2025HouseOrdered immediately transmitted to the House.
4/3/2025SenateRead the third time and passed.
4/3/2025SenateReturned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass
4/2/2025SenateRe-referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE
3/20/2025SenateREPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
3/20/2025SenateAmendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
3/20/2025SenateWithdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1
3/20/2025SenateRead first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE
3/12/2025SenateFiled
3/12/2025Senate
Bill Text
SB444 - Introduced
3/12/2025
Act Version
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