Votes at a glance: key Judiciary Committee actions

Little Rock — During a packed hearing the Senate Judiciary Committee recorded the following actions by voice vote or committee announcement:

- SB 676 (Wallace): Passed by committee (voice vote). Sponsor framed the bill as victim‑focused; committee carried the motion.

- SB 591 (Lelling): Motion to pass failed after extended testimony (committee voice vote; outcome: failed).

- HB 1696 (Crawford): Do‑pass motion passed; bill advances to the next step. The bill authorizes fingerprinting/photography at point of offense for certain misdemeanors and was amended from 'shall' to 'may.'

- SB 652 (Lelling): Do‑pass motion carried; described as cleanup to clarify retroactivity of Act 539 (2017) for non‑homicide juvenile offenders.

- SB 678 (Stubblefield): Do‑pass motion carried; requires background checks (including fingerprints) for new firefighter applicants, with funding sources identified to cover costs.

- SB 698 (Ballinger): Do‑pass motion carried (technical bail‑bonds cleanup).

- HB 1554 (Penzo): As amended to narrow enumerated offenses, do‑pass motion carried. The bill establishes an affirmative defense for trafficking victims in certain listed offenses to encourage testimony against traffickers.

- HB 1896 (Lowry): Committee took no action; the clerk announced the bill failed to advance after extended debate about the scope of 'asleep' as a non‑consent state.

Notes on votes: Most measures were decided by voice vote; the transcript records outcomes but not roll‑call tallies for each measure.