Dear Friends,
My most important job is to listen to central Arkansans about what is important to you. That is why I have held five telephone town halls since March to hear your concerns regarding Congress's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, how we can start the new school year safely and sensibly, and how we can get Arkansans back to work.
If you missed my most recent telephone town hall on Tuesday, you can see it by clicking HERE or on the image below.
Some of the topics we discussed included:
My role on the Congressional Oversight Committee and the oversight of the CARES Act funds.
The Congressional Oversight Commission is a five-person panel that was established by the CARES Act and is focused specifically on the economic stabilization efforts of the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve (Fed).
I was selected by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to serve on this panel and ensure that hard-earned taxpayer dollars are not abused. The other members of the commission are Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), Congresswoman Donna Shalala (D-FL), and Bharat Ramamurti.
This week, the Commission will hold a hearing about the Main Street Lending program and its charge to provide loans to small- and medium-sized businesses. This facility was designed for businesses not quite small enough to benefit from the PPPs forgivable loans, but not big enough to access lending through the other tools employed by the Fed and Treasury.
Legislation to help our schools keep our children safe this fall.
My legislation, the Helping Educators with Learning Preparation, or the "HELP Act” would support our schools safely educating students on campus and learning at a distance. This legislation would establish a grant program for state and local scholastic entities to provide resources related to reopening in the 2020-2021 school year with an emphasis on ensuring distance learning readiness and protecting health and safety.
This funding can be used to provide hotspots for families without Internet access, for equipment that enables teachers to conduct live video lessons, or for sanitizing classrooms and providing masks and other protective gear. The HELP Act is designed to respond to the local needs of students, parents, and teachers. This legislation emphasizes distance learning readiness and protecting health and safety for in-classroom instruction.
The possibility of a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as we approach the August 8th deadline.
The PPP has made a dent in the terrible impact that the pandemic has had on our businesses. In Arkansas over 45,000 businesses have received a PPP loan totaling almost $3.4 billion.
At the end of June 30th, there was about $130 billion that Congress had approved that had not been spent in the PPP. Congress has extended that $130 billion for use until August 8th so people can be applying right now.
I believe that Congress will continue to support our small businesses past the August 8th deadline so that they can continue to get the help they need. Congress is currently in the midst of ongoing negotiations for a potential additional relief package. I have heard from countless businesses who have been impacted and, rest assured, I will take this information into these negotiations to ensure businesses are getting helped
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| Listening to central Arkansas veterans |
Fall Meeting of My Veterans Advisory Council |
Today, I met with my Veterans Advisory Council virtually to hear the challenges that our central Arkansas veterans are facing.
My Veterans Advisory Council, established in May 2015, allows me to talk directly to veterans across central Arkansas and facilitate a constructive dialogue about the issues they are facing in our communities.
These quarterly meetings are designed to be an open forum for central Arkansas veterans to discuss veteran’s related issues. The council meetings ensure that the veterans in Arkansas’s Second District are having their voices heard.
| Great news for the natural state |
Conserving Our Wilderness Areas |
On Tuesday, the Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law.
As an avid outdoorsman, I was proud to support the Great American Outdoors Act, which will improve Arkansas’s 2.9 million acres of national forest and seven National Parks sites.
Picture of Half Dome in Yosemite, which I climbed in 2010. |
Preserving our wild areas and historic sites for future generations of Arkansans and visitors is vital to protecting the Natural State we love.
This bipartisan legislation protects our country's natural treasures, promotes recreation and conservation, and is the single largest investment in our national parks and public lands in history.
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respite relief for Veteran caregivers
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Partnership Between the VA and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation |
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a particularly profound impact on those who are caring for someone who is disabled. Those who are caring for our nation's heroes deserve our assistance and the VA and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation are partnering to help.
Under this program, the Respite Relief for Military and Veteran Caregivers program, caregivers of Veterans can apply to receive approximately 24-hours of respite care from a CareLinx professional to help with bathing, companionship, cooking, exercising, grooming, light housekeeping, medical and medication reminders, mobility assistance, transportation, and other activities.
Applicants to the Respite Relief for Military and Veteran Caregivers program will be selected and awarded by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. If you would like to apply, click HERE.
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ALERT: UNSOLICITED Packages FROM CHINA
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Have You Received Items in the Mail That You Didn’t Order? |
Recently, a central Arkansan contacted my office because they had received a package from China that they did not order.
As you may know, over the past several weeks there have been reports Americans have received suspicious, unsolicited packages of seeds and other items that appear to be coming from China.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is working closely with Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies to investigate the situation. To learn more about their efforts, click HERE.
-> ACTION: If you receive an unsolicited package of seeds, hold onto the seeds, packaging, and label, and contact the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s State Plant Board. Their email address is regulatoryseed@agriculture.arkansas.gov.
Additionally, it is recommended that if you receive one of these packages, do not plant them.
The USDA is currently collecting seed packages from recipients and will test their contents and determine if they contain anything that could be of concern to U.S. agriculture or the environment.
| Visiting with the Conway noon lions club |
Discussing the Importance of Serving Others |
I always appreciate spending time with service organizations in central Arkansas. Especially during these trying times, the members of these organizations can have a huge impact on our communities.
Tuesday, I was glad to meet with members of the Conway Noon Lions Club and discuss the difference that public service makes in central Arkansas and the importance of the PPP which has kept our small businesses open and Arkansas workers employed.
Thank you to Chapter President Amy Reed for inviting me.
Congressman Hill and Club President Amy Reed. |
We all appreciate the Conway Noon Lions Club’s commitment to service and helping others in our community.
It is my honor to represent you in Congress. Please contact me at (501) 324-5941 or Hill.House.Gov if I may be of service to you.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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