In the News

WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF: Congressman pays visit to West Point | Cotton addresses racial bias, police | Hill honors staff at Cabot school

06/14/2020
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Congressman pays visit to West Point

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., traveled to the U.S. Military Academy last week ahead of Saturday's graduation ceremonies.

Several members of the class of 2020 are from the 3rd Congressional District, which Womack represents.

They are David Nichols of Bentonville; Robert Bobby Norwood of Siloam Springs; Andrew Roberts of Bentonville; and Joseph Sultemeier of Rogers, Womack's office said.

President Donald Trump spoke Saturday to the graduating cadets. Womack, a former Rogers mayor, is chairman of the school's board of visitors.

Located on the Hudson River about 50 miles north of New York City, West Point is "the oldest continuously occupied military post in America," officials say.

Womack served 30 years in the Arkansas Army National Guard, retiring as a colonel in 2009. He is also former executive director of the University of Arkansas' Army ROTC program.

His brother, Jim, is a 1977 West Point graduate.

Cotton addresses racial bias, police

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., unveiled a nonbinding resolution Tuesday lamenting the death of George Floyd while also highlighting the importance of adequate funding for law enforcement.

Twenty-eight Republicans were co-sponsors. No Democrats were listed as backers.

Tuesday was the day of the funeral for Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

Cotton's resolution declared that "the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, at the hands of law enforcement was a horrific act that violated the public trust and was inconsistent with the values and conduct expected of law enforcement officers."

It stated that "the United States has a troubled history of racism that includes slavery, the terror of lynch mobs, segregation, and Jim Crow," adding that there is "important work to accomplish" on that front.

In addition, it portrayed cuts to law enforcement budgets as dangerous, warning that "defunding the police would leave police departments understaffed and undertrained, while also increasing the risk of violent crime to the communities of the United States, especially vulnerable communities."

As proposed, the resolution "(1) calls for justice for George Floyd; and (2) opposes efforts to defund the police."

Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., blocked the resolution, saying it was time for "real action, not rhetoric."

Hill honors staff at Cabot school

U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., highlighted workers at a Cabot grade school in Thursday's Congressional Record.

Staff members and teachers at Stagecoach Elementary School are "meeting the academic needs of their students, but they are also finding creative ways to maintain relationships with students, their families, and the community," the lawmaker from Little Rock stated.

"The teachers and staff have gone above and beyond by delivering groceries to families in need, continuing to offer breakfast and lunch for their students, providing supplies like laptops to families who may not have the necessary equipment for at-home learning, and conducting parades throughout the student's neighborhoods to lift spirits, and bring the community together," Hill said.

"This initiative has shined a light on how adapting to the situation at hand and responding with positivity can unite a community even amidst a public health crisis," he said.

In Monday's Congressional Record, Hill paid tribute to Amber Harbin, the Little Rock School District's 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Harbin, who works at Forest Heights Stem Academy, has been a science teacher for 13 years.

Hill thanked Harbin "and all of the dedicated educators throughout Arkansas, for service and leadership in these trying times for central Arkansas's communities."