Dear Friends,
These past ten months have been filled with productive visits with Arkansas families, farmers, teachers, students, veterans, community leaders, and so much more. I'm grateful to represent you in Congress and to be your voice. Here are some of this year's highlights so far.
January
It was National School Choice Week, January 20-26, 2018, when I toured Maumelle's Academics Plus Charter School. I had recently returned from Egypt and was glad to share my experiences there with the sixth graders who were studying Ancient Egypt. We discussed strategies for concurrent credit and how to best prepare students for college. I was impressed by the students and their eagerness to learn.
February
In February, I held the third meeting of the 2017-18 Class of my Future Leaders Council. They were an inspiring group of young Arkansas leaders. I enjoyed talking with them about how a bill is formed and how it goes through the committee process. Our future is in good hands!
March
In March, Senator John Boozman and I showed U.S. Air Force (USAF) Secretary Heather Wilson around Little Rock Air Force Base (LRAFB). We met with the airwomen and airmen serving our nation and several sites around the airbase, including the Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility (SCIF) building. There, we discussed their current training mission and how we can assist the National Guard and the USAF in obtaining more missions. We are grateful for Secretary Wilson’s sustained interest in LRAFB.
April
In April, I visited Del Rio, Texas, where I met with border patrol agents, and state and local officials, including the Val Verde County judge and sheriff, Joe Martinez (pictured above). This was my fourth visit to our southern border with Mexico, and I continue to build my understanding of the strategic challenges we face and what the House can do to deliver on our promise to better secure our borders and protect our families.
May
A young Syrian girl in a refugee camp holding a note that I wrote in the Holocaust Museum, encouraging the Syrian people to remain resilient.
In May, I had the privilege of visiting the Syria exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. This exhibit is dedicated to highlighting the vicious attacks against the people of Syria by its leader, Bashar al-Assad. By regaining control of the land occupied by real or perceived threats to the tyranny perpetrated by the Syrian government and sowing seeds of discord amongst the rebels to encourage more violence and bloodshed, he has become the embodiment of everything in opposition to democracy. I want to thank a Syrian-American and Arkansan, Mouaz Moustafa, for personally showing me this exhibit and for his leadership at the Syrian Emergency Task Force.
June
In June. I hosted Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress and America’s Librarian, to central Arkansas. Dr. Hayden was joined by her mother, Colleen, who was born in Helena. We kicked off her time in Arkansas by visiting with Governor Asa Hutchinson. We visited educational and historic sites together, such as our stops at the William F. Laman Public Library in Little Rock and the Historic Arkansas Museum. We also hosted more than 100 librarians and educators from across the state for lunch at the Clinton Library. National and local libraries play such an important role in our communities, helping to educate the next generation of leaders, and I am glad that Dr. Hayden got to see Arkansas’s terrific work in action.
July
On the Fourth of July, it was an honor to read the Declaration of Independence at the Historic Arkansas Museum. It's always a pleasure to visit with old friends and to make new ones.
August
In August, I had the opportunity to serve our homeless community breakfast in Little Rock at the Salvation Army of central Arkansas and Jericho Way. So far this year, my team has conducted 35 visits to six centers to hear directly from central Arkansans on how we can better assist and best provide services to the homeless.
September
Pictured: Top picture (left to right): Lambert Marshall (Bearskin Farm), Congressman Hill, Lauren Ward (Arkansas Rice Federation), and Lynn Marshall (owner, Bearskin Farm). Bottom picture (left to right): Josh Hankins (Arkansas Rice Federation), Congressman Hill, Lauren Ward, and Mark Isbell (owner, Isbell Farms).
Harvest season is a special time in our state, and I appreciated Bearskin Farm and Isbell Farms for the ring-side view of their rice harvests, which is crucial to our economy. I'm thankful to the Arkansas Rice Federation for coordinating these visits. Our Arkansas farmers continue to utilize innovative technologies and produce the best rice in the world as they maintain a competitive advantage as the nation's largest rice producing state.
October
With my good friend, UK Member of Parliament Rehman Chishti visiting, I held the 20th meeting of my Veterans Advisory Council in Beebe earlier this month. It was an honor to visit with the men and women of White County who have served our country and talk with them about their needs and how my office can help them access the benefits they've rightfully earned. I value the experiences our Arkansas veterans share with me as I continue fighting for them in Congress.
Thank you for taking time to keep up with the work I'm doing on your behalf. If I can be any assistance to you or your family, please reach out to my office at (501) 324-5941 or Hill.House.Gov.
Representative French Hill |
