Senate Public Health Committee approves House Bill 1977 after agency and hospital concerns

Members of the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee voted to advance House Bill 1977, a measure identical to Senate Bill 739, after hearing testimony from state agencies, hospitals and private commenters. Sponsor Senator Kim Hammer (R., District 33) moved to pass the bill; the chair called a voice vote and declared the bill passed. The transcript does not record the presence of a second or numerical vote totals.

The bill drew repeated cautions from agency witnesses about implementation and costs. Jim Hudson of the Department of Commerce told the committee that "in this particular bill, there is an emergency clause" and added, "I don't believe the emergency clause passed," raising concerns about confusion for businesses facing overlapping state and federal requirements. Alan McVay of the Department of Finance and Administration said DFA issued a fiscal-impact statement and noted that "testing is an eligible activity for the American Rescue Plan funds," but warned the committee that "the potential cost could outstrip the available funds." McVay said DFA used "a number of 25,000 potential employees at a hundred dollars per test" as a rough scenario to estimate potential refunding exposure.

Health officials also urged caution. Representatives from the Arkansas Department of Health said they have "concerns" about the number of tests required per week and the testing process laid out in the bill, and they warned that forthcoming federal guidance could affect how the state should proceed. Jodi Ann Tripp, executive vice president of the Arkansas Hospital Association, told the committee, "We're concerned that the exemption processes in this bill might not conform completely with either the OSHA guidelines or the Medicare conditions of participation, which will put hospitals in an untenable position to have to choose to follow federal regulation or state law."

Sponsor Senator Hammer framed the bill as providing relief to employees he said would otherwise be forced from their jobs by employer vaccine requirements. "What this does is protect those hardworking employees who are not looking to leave their employment," he said before making the motion to pass the bill. After the chair called for voices in favor — "All those in favor, say aye" — a committee voice responded "Aye," and the chair announced that the bill had passed out of committee.

The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript and no second was recorded when Senator Hammer moved the motion. Next steps for HB 1977 typically would include scheduling on the Senate floor; the transcript does not specify the committee's planned timeline for further action.