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Back to HB 1177
Arkansas General Assembly· HB 1177Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment.

An act TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS FRANCHISE PRACTICES ACT, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

1 State of Arkansas                       A Bill
2 95th General Assembly

3 Regular Session, 2025                                            HOUSE BILL 1177

4

5 By: Representative M. Brown

6 By: Senator B. Johnson

7

8                              For An Act To Be Entitled

9               AN ACT TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS FRANCHISE PRACTICES ACT;

10              TO CLARIFY THE APPLICABILITY OF THE ARKANSAS

11              FRANCHISE PRACTICES ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

12

13

14                                        Subtitle

15                        TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS FRANCHISE

16                        PRACTICES ACT; AND TO CLARIFY THE

17                        APPLICABILITY OF THE ARKANSAS FRANCHISE

18                        PRACTICES ACT.

19

20 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

21

22  SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Legislative findings and intent.

23  (a) The General Assembly finds that:

24              (1) The Supreme Court recognized in Gunn v. Farmers Ins. Exch.,

25 2010 Ark. 434 (2010) and Stockton v. Sentry Ins., 337 Ark. 507 (1999), that:

26                        (A) The Arkansas Franchise Practices Act does not apply to

27 the relationship between an insurance company and the insurance company's

28 agents; and

29                        (B) A franchise relationship does not exist between an

30 insurance company and the insurance company's agent under the Arkansas

31 Franchise Practices Act;

32              (2) The Supreme Court correctly decided that the Arkansas

33 Franchise Practices Act does not apply to an insurance agent who solicits or

34 sells insurance on behalf of an insurance company;

35              (3) The Supreme Court properly and correctly interpreted and

36 applied the Arkansas Franchise Practices Act; and

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                                                                          HB1177

1   (4) Existing case law should not be altered or extended.

2   (b) The General Assembly intends for Sections 2 and 3 of this act to

3 codify the rulings by the Supreme Court in Gunn v. Farmers Ins. Exch., 2010

4 Ark. 434 (2010) and Stockton v. Sentry Ins., 337 Ark. 507 (1999), that the

5 Arkansas Franchise Practices Act does not apply to business relations,

6 actions, or transactions between an insurance company and an insurance agent

7 who solicits or sells insurance on behalf of the insurance company.

8

9   SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 4-72-202(1), concerning the definition of

10 "franchise" used under the Arkansas Franchise Practices Act, is amended to

11 add an additional subdivision to read as follows:

12  (C) "Franchise" does not include business relations,

13 actions, or transactions between an insurance company and an insurance agent

14 who solicits or sells insurance on behalf of the insurance company;

15

16  SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 4-72-203, concerning the applicability of

17 the Arkansas Franchise Practices Act, is amended to add an additional

18 subsection to read as follows:

19  (d) This subchapter does not apply to business relations, actions, or

20 transactions between an insurance company and an insurance agent who solicits

21 or sells insurance on behalf of the insurance company.

22

23  SECTION 4. DO NOT CODIFY. Retroactivity.

24  (a) Section 2 of this act applies retroactively to the effective date

25 of Acts 1991, No. 411.

26  (b) Section 3 of this act applies retroactively to the effective date

27 of Acts 1991, No. 760.

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