# Arkansas SB486: CONCERNING SAFETY AND PRIVACY IN CERTAIN ENTITIES; AND CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF MULTI-OCCUPANCY RESTROOMS, CHANGING ROOMS, AND SLEEPING QUARTERS IN CERTAIN ENTITIES BASED ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S SEX. Arkansas SB486, CONCERNING SAFETY AND PRIVACY IN CERTAIN ENTITIES; AND CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF MULTI-OCCUPANCY RESTROOMS, CHANGING ROOMS, AND SLEEPING QUARTERS IN CERTAIN ENTITIES BASED ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S SEX., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Blake Johnson (Republican), Mary Bentley (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-04-22 (Notification that SB486 is now Act 955) (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB486-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas SB486 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: CONCERNING SAFETY AND PRIVACY IN CERTAIN ENTITIES; AND CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF MULTI-OCCUPANCY RESTROOMS, CHANGING ROOMS, AND SLEEPING QUARTERS IN CERTAIN ENTITIES BASED ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S SEX. - Status: enacted - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-03-17 - Last action: 2025-04-22, Notification that SB486 is now Act 955 - Sponsors: Blake Johnson (Republican), Mary Bentley (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 2 (88 yes, 27 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 3 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Shelter users gain room-access lawsuit rights: benefit, low. Shelter users can sue after encountering someone of the opposite sex in a bathroom or changing room designated for their sex. The shelter must have allowed that use or failed to take reasonable steps to prohibit it. Users can also sue when required to share a sleeping room designated for their sex… - Detention facilities must separate rooms by sex: mixed, medium. Arkansas state correctional and juvenile detention facilities must designate shared bathrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping rooms for females or males. Use is limited to the designated sex, with listed exceptions. Facilities must take reasonable steps to provide privacy and cannot require opposite-… - Shelters must separate shared rooms by sex: mixed, medium. Arkansas shelters must designate shared bathrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping rooms for females or males, using state-law sex definitions. Use is limited to the designated sex, with listed exceptions. Shelters must take reasonable steps to provide privacy and cannot require opposite-sex sharing o… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Blake Johnson (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Mary Bentley (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-16 | House | House Vote - Wednesday, April 16, 2025 1:10:24 PM | pass | 60 | 22 | | | 2025-04-02 | Senate | Senate Vote - Wednesday, April 2, 2025 3:09:39 PM | pass | 28 | 5 | | ## Actions (21) - 2025-04-22: Notification that SB486 is now Act 955 (Senate) - 2025-04-16: DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. (Senate) - 2025-04-16: Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor. (Senate) - 2025-04-16: ORDERED ENROLLED (Senate) - 2025-04-16: Returned from the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-16: Returned to the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-04-16: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-04-15: 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 STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- 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: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-31: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment. (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Rules suspended. (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Filed (Senate) ## Bill text - SB486 - Introduced, 2025-03-17: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB486.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=955.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 - [SB486 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB486.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=955.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) - [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-SB486-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).