In the News

The Problem With Big Numbers 08/17/2020 Arkansas Business Stop me if you’ve heard me say this before: The problem with big numbers is they lack natural context. We all have enough life experience to appreciate the difference between a $10 meal and a $50 meal or between a $20,000 car and a $50,000 car. But when numbers get big and a natural context is lacking, even accurate numbers become meaningle... Read more »

Capitol View for August 16, 2020 KARK 08/16/2020 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — This week Mitch McCoy is joined by Representative French Hill to talk about the HELP act to help students transition to in-class learning during current times. Also on Capitol View Jessi Tunure joins to talk about the current political landscape. This and more of the current political headlines on Capitol View Read more »

Order saves jobs, Welspun says 08/15/2020 Arkansas Democrat Gazette Welspun Tubular LLC would have faced a major reduction in its Little Rock workforce had it not received a new order this week from TC Energy, Welspun's top American executive said Friday. More than 500 people work at Welspun's large-diameter pipe mill on a 740-acre site at the Port of Little Rock. The facility can produce 350,000 ... Read more »

Order for Keystone Pipeline to Benefit Welspun Work in Little Rock 08/14/2020 Arkansas Business Welspun Tubular LLC of Little Rock announced Thursday that it has received an order from TC Energy that’s expected to keep 500 people working through at least 2021. The company did not disclose the value of the order, which was for more than 1 million feet in 36-inch line pipe for the $8 billion, 1,210-... Read more »

Federal Reserve Reveals Research Plans For Digital Dollar Forbes 08/13/2020 Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard provided a broad description of the Fed’s ongoing research and plans in the potential development of a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC), also described in the U.S. as a Digital Dollar. Brainard, who has for years led the discussion at the Fed on distributed ledger technology ... Read more »

U.S. Rep Hill declares Benton man ‘Hometown Hero’ 08/12/2020 The Saline Courier LITTLE ROCK — U.S. Rep. French Hill has recognized a UA-Little Rock nursing student for his exceptional work on the front lines at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Aaron Baxter, of Benton, works as a nurse in the intensive care unit at UAMS. Hill recognized Baxter before the U.S. House of Representative... Read more »

Lawmakers push Fed to make lending program more inclusive for mid-sized borrowers 08/12/2020 Yahoo News NEW YORK, Aug 12 (LPC) - US lawmakers are pushing the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to relax guidelines on its Main Street lending program to make it more inclusive for small and mid-size borrowers and their lenders. The program came under fire during Friday's Congressional Oversight Commission heari... Read more »

Fed official defends lending program Arkansas Democrat Gazette 08/08/2020 WASHINGTON -- A top Federal Reserve official on Friday defended the central bank's efforts to start a Main Street lending program and said the small number of loans approved so far would likely expand by a significant amount in coming months, especially if the pandemic worsens. While the Fed reported this week that the progr... Read more »

Overseers weigh fixes for Fed loan program Arkansas Democrat Gazette 08/08/2020 WASHINGTON -- A new federally-backed loan program for midsize businesses hasn't attracted many borrowers, members of the Congressional Oversight Commission were told Friday. As of Tuesday, the Main Street Lending Program had approved 18 loans totaling $109.5 million, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, whi... Read more »

Hill takes lead role in panel's hearing Arkansas Democrat Gazette 08/07/2020 WASHINGTON -- More than four months after passage of the CARES Act, the Congressional Oversight Commission charged with monitoring $500 billion in Treasury Department funds still lacks a chairman. As a result, U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., will be entrusted with the gavel when the commission holds its first public hearin... Read more »