Arkansas Comprehensive Privacy Bill Advances with Amendment
A possible Arkansas comprehensive privacy bill would now take effect July 1, 2026, if enacted, according to an amendment adopted Wednesday. The Senate Transportation Committee recommended that SB-258 pass with the changes.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
The new effective date is six months later than what was in a previous version. Also, the amendment switched out a section on “lawful basis of processing” to one on “processing sensitive data.” As amended, the bill would say: “A person shall not process the sensitive data of a consumer.” The old section started with: “A person … shall not engage in the sale of personal data that is sensitive data without receiving prior consent from the consumer.”
In addition, the amendment adds language on loyalty programs. It says that the proposed law doesn’t require a controller “to provide a product or a service that requires the personal data of a consumer that the controller does not collect or maintain or to prohibit a controller from offering a different price, rate, level, quality, or selection of goods or services to a consumer, including offering goods or services for no fee, if: (1) The consumer has exercised the consumer’s right to delete or opt out … or (2) The offer is related to a consumer’s voluntary participation in a bona fide loyalty, rewards, premium features, discounts, or club card program."
Plus, the amendment added an exemption for national securities associations. And the amendment made a variety of other technical changes and clarifications.