All Roll Calls
Yes: 167 • No: 0
ArkansasSB6202025 Regular SessionSenate
TO PROVIDE A SAFETY VALVE AND APPEAL RIGHT FOR A MINOR DEFENDANT WHO IS ALSO A VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING; AND TO AMEND THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING ACT OF 2013.
Sponsored By: Howard M. Beaty, Jr. (Republican), Missy Irvin (Republican)
Enacted
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Legal defense for adult trafficking survivors
Trafficking victims age 18 or older can raise a legal defense to specified criminal charges. These include forgery, defrauding a prospective adoptive parent, prostitution offenses, and obscene performance at a live public show. Covered drug offenses fall under Arkansas Code §5-64-402 and following sections, excluding Class Y felonies. The person must have been trafficked when acting, and the conduct must have directly resulted from that trafficking. The defense must still be proven; it does not automatically clear the charge.
Legal defense for trafficked minors
Trafficking victims age 17 or younger can raise a legal defense to nonviolent criminal charges. Nonviolent means the offense is not a violent crime as defined in Arkansas Code §16-90-1101. The person must have been trafficked when acting, and the conduct must have directly resulted from that trafficking. The defense must still be proven; it does not automatically clear the charge.
Stronger protections against forcing minors into crime
Arkansas treats knowingly recruiting or otherwise obtaining or keeping minors for forced criminal activity as human trafficking. This covers making a minor join or remain in a criminal group or break criminal law. The conduct must involve listed forms of force, threats, serious harm, coercion, or duress. It also covers schemes intended to make the minor believe another person will suffer serious harm. A person charged under this rule cannot use ignorance or a mistaken belief about the minor's age as a defense.
Courts must consider juvenile trauma histories
Courts must consider a young person's background when deciding whether to move a juvenile case to adult criminal court. The same requirement applies when deciding on extended juvenile jurisdiction. Courts must review information about mental, physical, educational, and social history, including harmful childhood experiences and trauma. This includes child-welfare or foster-care involvement and being a victim of trafficking, sexual abuse, or rape. These factors must be considered, but they do not decide either outcome.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsors
Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Republican • House
Missy Irvin
Republican • Senate
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
Senate vote • 4/16/2025
Senate Vote - Wednesday, April 16, 2025 9:25:34 AM
Yes: 35 • No: 0
House vote • 4/15/2025
House Vote - Tuesday, April 15, 2025 3:21:59 PM
Yes: 97 • No: 0
Senate vote • 4/8/2025
Senate Vote - Tuesday, April 8, 2025 5:25:29 PM
Yes: 35 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Notification that SB620 is now Act 1003
4/23/2025SenateDELIVERED TO GOVERNOR.
4/16/2025SenateReported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
4/16/2025SenateORDERED ENROLLED
4/16/2025SenateRead the third time and passed.
4/16/2025SenateRules suspended.
4/16/2025SenateHouse Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
4/16/2025SenatePlaced on second reading for purpose of amendment.
4/16/2025SenateReturned from the House as passed as amended # 1 .
4/15/2025SenateReturned to Senate as passed, as amended # 1
4/15/2025HouseRead the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
4/15/2025HouseREPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
4/14/2025HouseAmendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed.
4/14/2025HousePlaced on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
4/14/2025HouseReturned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1
4/10/2025HouseRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on JUDICIARY COMMITTEE- HOUSE
4/8/2025HouseRECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
4/8/2025HouseOrdered immediately transmitted to the House.
4/8/2025SenateRead the third time and passed.
4/8/2025SenateReturned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass
4/7/2025SenateRead first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE
4/3/2025SenateFiled
4/3/2025Senate
Bill Text
SB620 - Introduced
4/3/2025
Act Version
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