In the News

US Lawmakers Question Terrorist Use of Facebook Cryptocurrency Coindesk 06/27/2019 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives questioned Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN) director Kenneth Blanco about Facebook’s planned cryptocurrency Thursday. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN), Bill Foster (D-IL) and French Hill (R-AR) held a… Read more »

House Financial Services A.I. Task Force Mulls Virtual Hearings  Bloomberg 06/21/2019 A House task force on artificial intelligence has some high tech plans of its own. The task force hopes to mix traditional hearings with virtual field hearings featuring technologists, entrepreneurs and other experts from across the country. Don’t expect the focus to be on C Suite… Read more »

Arkansas legislators announce FEMA disaster recovery centers NWA 06/20/2019 Arkansas’ legislators announced FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers. U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, along with Congressmen Rick Crawford, French Hill, Steve Womack and Bruce Westerman, announced that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Recovery Centers will open in Arkansas. The… Read more »

Rep. Hill hosts bankers meeting on Dodd-Frank, marijuana impact By TB&P Rep. French Hill hosted an all-day discussion Monday (June 17) at the local offices of the Arkansas Bankers Association (ABA) to hear concerns about key legislative and regulatory issues facing Arkansas’ financial and banking community. Hill, a former Little Rock banking executive and ranking Republican… Read more »

U.S. Labor Chief Acosta visits Little Rock to push USMCA trade deal Talk Business and Politics 06/17/2019 U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta told more than 100 state and local officials in Little Rock on Monday (June 17) that congressional approval of the Trump administration’s U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade pact (USMCA) is paramount for the continued growth of U.S. jobs. Acosta made… Read more »

C&H Hog Farms takes state buyout; $6.2M deal cut to preserve Buffalo River By ADG C&H Hog Farms, the subject of yearslong environmental concerns, will close its doors later this year under a $6.2 million buyout agreement reached with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Department of Arkansas Heritage Director Stacy Hurst. The large-scale hog farm that sits within the watershed of… Read more »

House Financial Services Committee Creates Task Forces to Examine Fintech and AI Regulation By JD Supra The House Financial Services Committee ("HFSC") recently passed unanimous resolutions to form two new task forces, one on Financial Technology ("Fintech") and the other on Artificial Intelligence ("AI"), to better inform the HFSC's legislative agenda on a wide variety of legal,… Read more »

A true believer in diversity, inclusion The Hill 06/04/2019 Joseph Vaughan, executive director of the new Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Forum (CDIF), says the lack of diversity in D.C. lobbying groups can wind up affecting both practice and policy.  “There’s a void in Washington around consultants or advisers who understand the diversity and inclusion practice as it… Read more »

Delegates applaud emergency declaration The Log Cabin Democrat WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton — along with Congressmen Rick Crawford, French Hill, Steve Womack and Bruce Westerman — announced that President Donald Trump has issued an emergency declaration for Arkansas, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide assistance for emergency… Read more »

Gov. Hutchinson seeks federal support in ‘flood of historic magnitude’ Talk Business and Politics 05/29/2019 Gov. Asa Hutchinson is asking federal agencies for direct support and will tour flooded areas with members of the state’s congressional delegation Thursday, he said in a press conference Wednesday (May 29). Describing the devastation that has already occurred and is yet to… Read more »