On Wednesday the Arkansas House of Representatives soundly rejected H.B. 1697 by Rep. Ashley Hudson (D – Little Rock), Rep. Andrew Collins (D – Little Rock), and Sen. Greg Leding (D – Fayetteville).
This bad bill would permit no-fault divorce in Arkansas.
Under current law, couples in Arkansas can divorce in cases such as infidelity, abuse, following a lengthy separation, and other circumstances.
H.B. 1697 would permit divorce due to irreconcilable differences, discord, or conflict of personalities regardless of whether or not the husband or wife is at fault.
The bill only received 31 votes in favor of it.
Fifty-eight representatives voted against the bill. Two voted “Present.”
Reps. Pilkington (R – Russellville), Dotson (R – Bentonville), and Breaux (R – Holiday Island) all spoke against this bad bill. Reps. Dalby (R – Texarkana) and Cozart (R – Hot Springs) spoke in favor of the bill.
Below is a breakdown of the vote on H.B. 1697.
Voted For H.B. 1697
- F. Allen
- Christiansen
- Clowney
- A. Collins
- Cozart
- Dalby
- Ennett
- Eubanks
- K. Ferguson
- D. Ferguson
- Fielding
- D. Garner
- Godfrey
- M. Gray
- Haak
- Hillman
- M. Hodges
- Hudson
- Jett
- Love
- Magie
- McCullough
- Murdock
- Nicks
- Perry
- Richardson
- Scott
- Springer
- Wardlaw
- Warren
- D. Whitaker
Voted Against H.B. 1697
- Barker
- Beatty Jr.
- Beck
- Bentley
- S. Berry
- M. Berry
- Boyd
- Bragg
- Breaux
- Brooks
- Brown
- Bryant
- Carr
- Cloud
- Coleman
- C. Cooper
- Crawford
- Deffenbaugh
- Dotson
- Evans
- C. Fite
- L. Fite
- Fortner
- Furman
- Gazaway
- Gonzales
- Hawks
- Holcomb
- L. Johnson
- Ladyman
- Lowery
- Lundstrum
- Lynch
- Maddox
- J. Mayberry
- McClure
- McCollum
- M. McElroy
- McGrew
- McKenzie
- McNair
- S. Meeks
- Penzo
- Pilkington
- Ray
- Richmond
- Rye
- Slape
- B. Smith
- S. Smith
- Speaks
- Tollett
- Tosh
- Underwood
- Vaught
- Watson
- Womack
- Wooten
Voted “Present” on H.B. 1697
- Payton
- Wing
Did Not Vote
- Cavenaugh
- M. Davis
- Eaves
- V. Flowers
- Hollowell
- Jean
- Miller
- Milligan
- Shepherd
