Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 586 3
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By: Senator J. Dotson 5
By: Representative Gazaway 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO BE KNOWN AS THE "PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTION 9
ACT"; CONCERNING THE PERCENTAGE OF VOTES REQUIRED FOR 10
APPROVAL OF A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT REFERRED TO 11
VOTERS UNDER ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 5, 12
SECTION 1; AMENDING ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 5, 13
§ 1, AS AUTHORIZED BY THAT PROVISION OF THE ARKANSAS 14
CONSTITUTION; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 15
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Subtitle 18
TO CREATE THE "PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTION 19
ACT"; AND AMENDING A PORTION OF THE 20
ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION AS AUTHORIZED BY 21
ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 5, § 1. 22
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24
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SECTION 1. TITLE. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 26
"Protect Our Constitution Act". 27
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SECTION 2. Pursuant to the authority granted by Arkansas Constitution, 29
Article 5, § 1, the subsection of Arkansas Constitution, Article 5, § 1, 30
titled "Majority" is amended to read as follows: 31
Majority. (a)(1) Any Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2) of this 32
section, any measure submitted to the people as herein provided shall take 33
effect and become a law when approved by a majority of the votes cast upon 34
such measure, and not otherwise, and shall not be required to receive a 35
majority of the electors voting at such election. 36 SB586
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(2) A constitutional amendment submitted to the people as herein 1
provided shall take effect and become a law when approved by at least two -2
thirds (2/3) of the votes cast upon such measure. 3
(b) Such measures After a measure has been approved by a vote of the 4
people, it shall be operative on and after the thirtieth day after the 5
election at which it is approved, unless otherwise specified in the Act 6
measure. 7
(c) This section shall not be construed to deprive any member of the 8
General Assembly of the right to introduce any measure, but no measure shall 9
be submitted to the people by the General Assembly, except a proposed 10
constitutional amendment or amendments as provided for in this Constitution. 11
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SECTION 3. Pursuant to the authority granted by Arkansas Constitution, 13
Article 5, § 1, the subsection of Arkansas Constitution, Article 5, § 1, 14
titled "Conflicting Measures", is amended to read as follows: 15
Conflicting Measures. If conflicting measures initiated or referred to 16
the people shall be approved by a majority of the votes severally cast for 17
and against the same as herein provided at the same election, the one 18
receiving the highest number of affirmative votes shall become law. 19
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SECTION 4. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 21
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that amendments to the Arkansas 22
Constitution impact the public peace, health, and safety of each citizen of 23
this state; that to protect the public peace, health, and safety of the 24
citizens of this state, it is necessary to increase the threshold for passage 25
of a constitutional amendment proposed under Arkansas Constitution, Article 26
5, § 1, to ensure that constitutional amendments are supported by an 27
appropriate number of voters to justify an amendment to the Arkansas 28
Constitution; and that this act should become effective at the earliest 29
opportunity to ensure that its provisions are in place for the 2026 general 30
election. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, and this act being 31
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and 32
safety shall become effective on: 33
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 34
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 35
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 36 SB586
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bill; or 1
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 2
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 3
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