Asa Hutchinson
Asa Hutchinson served as Governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023, and previously as a member of Congress and as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. His entries fall within his term as governor and record legislation he signed, and in one case declined to sign, before it was enacted over his veto.
2021 Events (2)
Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson signed SB450, adding AG enforcement to the state's transgender sports ban
On April 27, 2021, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed SB450, the "Gender Integrity Reinforcement Legislation for Sports (GIRLS) Act," into law as Act 953 of 2021, roughly a month after signing the state's first sex-based sports-eligibility law, SB354. The law requires K-12 and postsecondary athletic teams sponsored by state-funded entities to be designated by sex based on anatomy and genetics at birth, bars students of "the male sex" from female-designated teams, and creates a civil cause of action letting the Attorney General sue non-complying schools for injunctive relief plus a one-year bar on receiving public funds.
Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson signed SB354, barring transgender athletes from girls' and women's school sports
On March 25, 2021, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed SB354, the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," into law as Act 461 of 2021. The law limits K-12 and college athletic teams designated for females to students whose biological sex is female, barring transgender girls and women from competing on those teams, and creates a private cause of action for a student or school harmed by a violation. Sponsored by Sen. Missy Irvin and Rep. Jim Barker, the bill passed the Arkansas Senate on March 10, 2021, and the House on March 22, 2021, before reaching Hutchinson's desk.
2015 Events (1)
Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson allowed SB202 to become law without his signature, nullifying Fayetteville's LGBT ordinance
On February 24, 2015, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson allowed SB202 to become Act 137 without his signature, barring Arkansas cities and counties from adopting nondiscrimination protections broader than state law. The measure nullified Fayetteville's LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance and preempted similar local measures statewide.