In the News

HBCUs receive permanent funding of $255 million 12/15/2019 TB&P A bipartisan bill to make permanent $255 million in annual funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) cleared Congress last week. The measure includes $255 million in annual funding for HCBUs, simplifies the application for federal student aid, and eliminates annual paperwork required of… Read more »

Washington news in brief 12/15/2019 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Rx-drugs-bill vote upsets Democrats WASHINGTON -- Democratic congressional candidates are criticizing their Republican opponents for opposing legislation designed to rein in prescription costs. HR3, allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices, passed 230-192 in the U.S. House… Read more »

Minority veterans of World War I to be considered for Medals of Honor 12/13/2019 Stars and Stripes WASHINGTON — Minority World War I veterans whose actions during the war were overlooked because of their race or religion could have their service records reviewed to determine whether some of them deserve the Medal of Honor. The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, if it is… Read more »

The current landscape of central bank digital currencies 12/13/2019 Brookings During Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony to the House Financial Services Committee on October 23, 2019, he pointed to the threat posed by China’s incoming state-run digital currency as the reason U.S. regulators should be more accommodating toward Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency. Interestingly, Libra was the… Read more »

'Widow's tax' provision in bill OK'd by House 12/12/2019 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette WASHINGTON -- The National Defense Authorization Act, which passed in the House of Representatives 377-48 Wednesday, contains good news for thousands of military widows in Arkansas and across the country. The bill gradually repeals a longstanding federal law that had prevented tens of thousands of… Read more »

Rep. Hill: “Speaker Pelosi’s Drug Plan Puts Politics Over People” 12/12/2019 KARK4 WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, Congressmen French Hill (AR-02) released the following statement after voting against H.R. 3, the Pelosi drug pricing plan: “Once again, Speaker Pelosi decided to put politics over people when she brought her partisan drug plan to the floor knowing that it has no chance of… Read more »

State's lawmakers, business leaders laud trade deal 12/11/2019 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette WASHINGTON -- Arkansas lawmakers and industry leaders say they're glad that the United States Mexico Canada Agreement is moving forward, predicting it will be good for workers and a boon for the nation. The trade agreement "will reposition the United States as not only the largest economy in… Read more »

Trump faces 2 impeachment articles; charges allege abuse of power, obstruction 12/11/2019 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette WASHINGTON -- House Democratic leaders Tuesday formally called for President Donald Trump's removal from office in two articles of impeachment that charged him with abusing his power and obstructing Congress, asserting that he "ignored and injured the interests of the… Read more »

Hill’s bipartisan Syrian sanctions bill included in NDAA 12/11/2019 The Ripon Advance U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) recently applauded the inclusion of a bipartisan bill he supports that would impose new sanctions on Syrian human rights abusers in larger legislation to authorize U.S. military appropriations. The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, H.R. 31, which Rep. Hill… Read more »

Rep. Hill celebrates Passage of Bill to Permanently Fund Arkansas’s HBCUs 12/10/2019 KARK WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, the House of Representatives passed a Senate amended version of H.R. 5363, the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act by a vote of 319-96 with Congressman French Hill’s (AR-02) support. This bipartisan legislation would… Read more »