In the News

U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., will speak at a financial-services forum Tuesday at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. Speaking with Hill will be Tom Quaadman with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Hill represents the 2nd Congressional District. The two will speak on efforts in Congress to overhaul the country's capital markets. The event runs 9-11 a.m. Hosting the event are the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerc... Read more

An Arkansas woman who built a consignment sale empire told congressmen Thursday that federal regulations threaten the survival of her company. Rhea Lana Riner told members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce that she's been locked in a legal battle with the U.S. Department of Labor since 2013. "If we lose, Rhea Lana's will no longer be able to provide its valuable service to families in need," she said. Thursday's hearing focused on "Federal Wage and Hour Policies in the Twenty... Read more

Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Technology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, traveled to Washington, D.C. Feb. 6-8 to meet with members of the Arkansas congressional delegation. Whitman was joined by University of Arkansas College of Engineering Dean John English, Arkansas State University College of Engineering Associate Dean Paul Mixon, and Arkansas Technical University College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Neal Barlow. The... Read more

United States Representative French Hill from Arkansas' 2nd Congressional District will host a telephone town hall Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Little Rock Republican announced the event shortly before 10 a.m. today, just nine hours before it was set to begin. It is unclear how many questions Hill will field or how long the event will last. If you would like to participate, dial 877-229-8493. The passcode is 114451. Hill also has yet to announce an in-person town hall. Read more

LITTLE ROCK — Members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation are trying a second time to ease regulations on events where children’s clothes are sold on consignment. The effort was inspired by Conway-based Rhea Lana’s Franchise System, which was told by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2013 that it was violating the federal Fair Labor Standards Act by using volunteers as workers for a for-profit business, with no hourly wages or overtime pay provided. The business has maintained that allowing peop... Read more

Arkansas lawmakers have filed a bill to prevent children's consignment business owners from "unnecessary and burdensome Department of Labor regulations." U.S. Senators Tom Cotton and John Boozman and Congressman French Hill introduced the bill called the Children's Consignment Event Recognition Act. The bill would provide an exemption for volunteers at consignment events from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The lawmakers site when Rhea Lana's, a Conway-based company, was ruled to be in viol... Read more

S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, on Wednesday said Congress has an obligation to oversee the executive branch, said the border with Mexico should be more secure but doesn’t have to be a double fence, and both defended and criticized President Trump’s executive orders related to immigrants and refugees. In an hourlong telephone town hall, he also questioned the wisdom of a congressionally proposed “border adjustment tax.” Hill said Trump’s denial of passport privileges to citizens of seven cou... Read more

A bipartisan delegation of Members of Congress from the U.S. House of Representatives arrived Friday on a visit to strengthen ties between the American and Egyptian peoples. Headed by Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California, senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the delegation held productive meetings with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as well as senior Egyptian government, business, and community leaders. Following Representative Rohrabacher’s January 2014 visit to Egy... Read more

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette emailed the spokesmen of all six members of Arkansas' congressional delegation, asking how they want President Donald Trump to handle Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The executive order, signed by President Barack Obama in June 2012, grants two-year work permits and deferred status to immigrants who arrived before their 16th birthdays and before June 2007, if they meet educational requirements and pass criminal background checks. The same question was emaile... Read more

U.S. Rep. French Hill gave two speeches on the House floor last week. In one, he congratulated U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers for receiving the Department of the Army Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service. In the other, the Republican from Little Rock paid tribute to Townsend Wolfe, the former Arkansas Arts Center director who died last month at age 81. Hill described fellow Republican Womack as "a true Arkansas leader." He called Wolfe "the ultimate Southern gentleman and truly a cult... Read more