Arkansas Gov. Sanders signed the Keep Kids First Act, letting faith-based foster and adoption agencies refuse LGBTQ prospective parents

On April 10, 2025, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed House Bill 1669, the "Keep Kids First Act," enacted as Act 509 of 2025. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Mary Bentley, prohibits the state from requiring a faith-based adoption or foster-care provider to make a placement that conflicts with the provider's sincerely held religious or moral convictions. It further bars the state from precluding a provider's consideration of prospective parents based on the provider's religious beliefs regarding sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill passed both chambers of the General Assembly before Sanders signed it into law.

In practice, the law shields agencies that hold state child-welfare contracts from antidiscrimination requirements, permitting them to decline to place children with same-sex couples and other LGBTQ prospective foster and adoptive parents. The ACLU of Arkansas said the legislation "would codify the exclusion many LGBTQ individuals and couples already face when trying to foster or adopt" and prioritized "prejudice over the best interests of children." Alliance Defending Freedom, which supported the measure, framed it as protecting faith-based organizations from discrimination over their religious beliefs.