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 SENATE BILL 477
4
5 By: Senator G. Stubblefield
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7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF THEFT OF EQUIPMENT
10 RENTAL SERVICES; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
11
12
13 Subtitle
14 TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF THEFT OF
15 EQUIPMENT RENTAL SERVICES.
16
17 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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19 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 5, Chapter 36, Subchapter 1, is amended
20 to add an additional section to read as follows:
21 5-36-127. Theft of Equipment Rental Services.
22 (a) As used in this section, "equipment rental service" means the
23 commercial service of providing equipment for rent or lease.
24 (b) A person commits the offense of theft of equipment rental services
25 if he or she knowingly:
26 (1) After the expiration of a lease or rental period, exercises
27 unauthorized control or otherwise deprives the lessor or renter of equipment
28 that is leased, rented, or entrusted to the person; or
29 (2) Causes damage to equipment that is leased, rented, or
30 entrusted to the person such that the equipment is not in a condition to be
31 provided for rent or lease without repair.
32 (c) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the person
33 compensated the lessor or renter of the equipment for:
34 (1) The value of the equipment rental service for the time
35 between the expiration of the lease or rental period and the return of the
36 equipment to the lessor or renter; and
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SB477
1 (2) The value of any damage to the equipment.
2 (d) A violation of this section is a:
3 (1) Class B felony if the value of the equipment rental service
4 for the time between the expiration of the lease or rental period and the
5 return of the equipment, the damage to the equipment, or both, is twenty-five
6 thousand dollars ($25,000) or more;
7 (2) Class C felony if the value of the equipment rental service
8 for the time between the expiration of the lease or rental period and the
9 return of the equipment, the damage to the equipment, or both, is less than
10 twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) but more than five thousand dollars
11 ($5,000);
12 (3) Class D felony if the value of the equipment rental service
13 for the time between the expiration of the lease or rental period and the
14 return of the equipment, the damage to the equipment, or both, is five
15 thousand dollars ($5,000) or less but more than one thousand dollars
16 ($1,000);
17 (4) Class A misdemeanor if the value of the equipment rental
18 service for the time between the expiration of the lease or rental period and
19 the return of the equipment, the damage to the equipment, or both, is one
20 thousand dollars ($1,000) or less.
21 (e) In addition to any other sentence authorized by law, the court
22 shall order a person convicted of theft of rental services to pay restitution
23 to the lessor or renter of the equipment for the value of the equipment
24 rental service for the time between the expiration of the lease or rental
25 period and the return of the equipment and any damage to the equipment.
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2 02/19/2025 11:29:16 AM CEB111Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.