Bill > HB1764

This bill amends Arkansas law regarding violations of protection orders by modifying the offense classification for such violations. Under the current law, violating a protection order is typically a Class A misdemeanor, but the bill proposes to upgrade the offense to a Class D felony if certain conditions are met. Specifically, the violation would become a felony if it occurs within five years of a previous conviction for violating a protection order, and the current protection order was issued after a hearing where the person had proper notice and an opportunity to participate. Importantly, the bill expands the previous conviction criteria to include not just Arkansas protection order violations, but also equivalent domestic abuse protection order violations from other states or foreign jurisdictions. This change suggests an intent to create stricter penalties for repeat offenders of protection order violations and to recognize protection orders from jurisdictions outside of Arkansas.

Justice

https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1764&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R