AR
Arkansas House Bill HB1597

Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1597 Compare Versions

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11 Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2-Act 456 of the Regular Session
3-*CEB185* 03-13-2025 14:01:52 CEB185
4-
5-State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S3/13/25 1
2+*CEB185* 02/25/2025 5:12:36 PM CEB185
3+State of Arkansas 1
64 95th General Assembly A Bill 2
75 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1597 3
86 4
97 By: Representative Dalby 5
108 By: Senator A. Clark 6
119 7
1210 For An Act To Be Entitled 8
1311 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE ADMINISTRATION 9
1412 OF THE OATH OF OFFICE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 10
1513 11
1614 12
1715 Subtitle 13
1816 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE 14
1917 ADMINISTRATION OF THE OATH OF OFFICE. 15
2018 16
2119 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 17
2220 18
23- SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 14-42-106(b), concerning oaths required for 19
24-elected or appointed municipal officers, is amended to read as follows: 20
25- (b)(1) Except as provided in subdivision (b)(2) of this section, the 21
26-officers shall take their oaths before: 22
27- (A) The Secretary of State or his or her official 23
28-designee; 24
29- (B) A justice or judge ; of the: 25
30- (i) Supreme Court; 26
31- (ii) Court of Appeals; 27
32- (iii) Circuit court, including any former circuit or 28
33-chancery judge who served for at least four (4) years ; or 29
34- (iv) District court, including any former municipal 30
35-or district judge who served for at least four (4) years ; 31
36- (C) A judge of the county court; 32
37- (D) A federal justice or judge of the: 33
38- (i) United States Supreme Court; 34
39- (ii) United States Court of Appeals; or 35
40- (iii) United States District Court; 36 As Engrossed: S3/13/25 HB1597
21+ SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 21-2-105(a), concerning who may administer 19
22+an oath of office, is amended to read as follows: 20
23+ (a)(1) The Governor shall take the oath of office before: 21
24+ (A) A justice or judge of the: 22
25+ (i) Supreme Court; 23
26+ (ii) Court of Appeals; 24
27+ (iii) Circuit court; or 25
28+ (iv) District court; 26
29+ (B) The county clerk; or 27
30+ (C) The clerk of the circuit court. 28
31+ (2) The justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Court of 29
32+Appeals, judges of the circuit courts, judges of the district court, 30
33+Secretary of State, Treasurer of State, and Auditor of State shall take their 31
34+oaths before: 32
35+ (A) The Governor; 33
36+ (B) A justice or judge of the: 34
37+ (i) Supreme Court; 35
38+ (ii) Court of Appeals; 36 HB1597
4139
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43-
44-
45- (E) A clerk of the: 1
46- (i) County court; 2
47- (ii) Circuit court; or 3
48- (iii) City of the first class; 4
49- (E)(F) A recorder of: 5
50- (i) A city of the second class; or 6
51- (ii) An incorporated town; or 7
52- (F)(G) A justice of the peace. 8
53- (2) The council members also may take their oaths before the 9
54-mayor of the municipality. 10
55- 11
56- SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 21 -2-105(a), concerning who may administer 12
57-an oath of office, is amended to read as follows: 13
58- (a)(1) The Governor shall take the oath of office before: 14
59- (A) A justice or judge of the: 15
60- (i) Supreme Court; 16
61- (ii) Court of Appeals; 17
62- (iii) Circuit court; or 18
63- (iv) District court; 19
64- (B) A federal justice or judge of the: 20
65- (i) United States Supreme Court; 21
66- (ii) United States Court of Appeals; or 22
67- (iii) United States District Court; 23
68- (C) The county clerk; or 24
69- (C)(D) The clerk of the circuit court. 25
70- (2) The justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Court of 26
71-Appeals, judges of the circuit courts, judges of the district court, 27
72-Secretary of State, Treasurer of State, and Auditor of State shall take their 28
73-oaths before: 29
74- (A) The Governor; 30
75- (B) A justice or judge of the: 31
76- (i) Supreme Court; 32
77- (ii) Court of Appeals; 33
78- (iii) Circuit court , including any former circuit or 34
79-chancery judge who served for at least four (4) years ; or 35
80- (iv) District court , including any former municipal 36 As Engrossed: S3/13/25 HB1597
81-
82- 3 03-13-2025 14:01:52 CEB185
83-
84-
85-or district judge who served for at least four (4) years ; 1
86- (C) A federal justice or judge of the: 2
87- (i) United States Supreme Court; 3
88- (ii) United States Court of Appeals; or 4
89- (iii) United States District Court; 5
90- (D) The clerk of the county court; or 6
91- (D)(E) The clerk of the circuit court. 7
92- (3) All other officers, both civil and military, shall take 8
93-their oaths before: 9
94- (A) The Secretary of State or his or her official 10
95-designee; 11
96- (B) A justice or judge of the: 12
97- (i) Supreme Court; 13
98- (ii) Court of Appeals; 14
99- (iii) Circuit court , including any former circuit or 15
100-chancery judge who served for at least four (4) years ; 16
101- (iv) District court , including any former municipal 17
102-or district judge who served for at least four (4) years ; or 18
103- (v) County court; 19
104- (C) A federal justice or judge of the: 20
105- (i) United States Supreme Court; 21
106- (ii) United States Court of Appeals; or 22
107- (iii) United States District Court; 23
108- (D) The clerk of the county court; 24
109- (D)(E) The clerk of the circuit court; 25
110- (E)(F) A justice of the peace; 26
111- (F)(G) A clerk of a city of the first class; or 27
112- (G)(H) A recorder of a city of the second class or 28
113-incorporated town. 29
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41+ (iii) Circuit court , including any former circuit or 1
42+chancery judge who served for at least four (4) years ; or 2
43+ (iv) District court , including any former municipal 3
44+or district judge who served for at least four (4) years ; 4
45+ (C) The clerk of the county court; or 5
46+ (D) The clerk of the circuit court. 6
47+ (3) All other officers, both civil and military, shall take 7
48+their oaths before: 8
49+ (A) The Secretary of State or his or her official 9
50+designee; 10
51+ (B) A justice or judge of the: 11
52+ (i) Supreme Court; 12
53+ (ii) Court of Appeals; 13
54+ (iii) Circuit court , including any former circuit or 14
55+chancery judge who served for at least four (4) years ; 15
56+ (iv) District court , including any former municipal 16
57+or district judge who served for at least four (4) years ; or 17
58+ (v) County court; 18
59+ (C) The clerk of the county court; 19
60+ (D) The clerk of the circuit court; 20
61+ (E) A justice of the peace; 21
62+ (F) A clerk of a city of the first class; or 22
63+ (G) A recorder of a city of the second class or 23
64+incorporated town. 24
65+ 25
66+ 26
67+ 27
68+ 28
69+ 29
11470 30
115-/s/Dalby 31
71+ 31
11672 32
11773 33
118-APPROVED: 4/3/25 34
74+ 34
11975 35
12076 36