Identical bills aimed at easing restrictions for security guards and other security professionals are closer to becoming law after quick votes Thursday in committee meetings.
House Bill 1004 and Senate Bill 6 give applicants a chance for a security license if past misdemeanor convictions occurred 10 or more years before they applied.
They also instruct the Arkansas State Police to develop a list of misdemeanors that are violent or sexual in nature that will disqualify an application. That list will be reviewed by lawmakers in coming months.
A law passed in 2015 abolished the board that once issued security officer licenses. The authority was transferred to state police.
But once the law went into effect, the state police began denying licenses to longtime professionals who had past misdemeanor offenses like failure to appear.
The bills also would allow a security professional to keep working while their license renewal is pending.