Dear Friend,

As we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, I am excited to update you on my Women’s Veterans Initiative (WVI), thanks to the excellent work of my key veterans staffer Dlayne Tuccarione, an Air Force veteran, who started the Women's Veterans Inititiave.

The last 20 years has seen an increase in the number of women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces – with more women serving now than ever.

Roles in the military for women have changed, and acceptance of women serving in the military and their inclusion has increased dramatically. But, with more women serving we now have more women separating and with interests that are unique to women.

I created the WVI to provide critical support for Arkansas’s women who have served our country in uniform.

At its core, the WVI brings together women veterans to form a community of better-informed women veterans. Our efforts include gathering feedback to direct the VA’s and others’ focus to areas that need improvement. Hearing directly from you helps me advocate more effectively on your behalf and identify the real issues our women veteran heroes face.

I am committed to working to improve the care our women veterans receive. If you or someone you know is interested in participating the WVI please fill out this survey so we can ensure your voice is heard in Washington.

BIDEN'S BORDER CRISIS

President Biden continues to deny the crisis he has created along our southwest border. President Biden has rolled back four years of progress under the Trump administration to secure our border and has made it easier for illegal immigrants to enter and stay in the United States, endangering neighboring American cities and border communities.

In the two months since his inauguration in January, President Biden has:

halted construction of the border wall system – including projects already funded through bipartisan appropriations

implemented selective enforcement of our immigration laws

suspended the remain-in-Mexico policy

allowed entry of thousands of migrants in Mexico into the country with little guidance around COVID safety precautions

reimplemented the Obama-era catch-and-release program.

These decisions not only lack regard for our citizens but for common sense as well.

I will always stand for a secure border and the safety and security of the American people.

VACCINE UPDATE – ARKANSAS OPENS VACCINE ELIGIBILITY TO PHASE 1-C

Starting on March 16^th the state of Arkansas expanded the eligibility requirements to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If you are ages 16-64 with health conditions that increase your risk for severe coronavirus or if you are an essential worker in the field of energy, finance, food service, information technology & communications, legal, media, public health/human services, public safety, shelter and housing, or transportation and logistics, you are now eligible for a vaccine.

This expansion also includes people residing in high-risk settings, including those who are incarcerated or detained, those living in group homes, congregate settings, or crowded housings, and student housing such as dorms or Greek housing.

To learn more, including eligibility and vaccination locations, please visit the Arkansas Department of Health website.

Also, I invite you to review the CDC’s new guidance for fully vaccinated individuals.

UPDATE: EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE

Funding for rental assistance included in the bipartisan COVID-19 relief package I supported in December 2020 is available to those meeting the following criteria across Arkansas.

If your household:

Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19;

Demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and

Has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median.

If you, your family, or someone you may know fits these criteria, you can may claim eligibility for the Department of Treasury’s Emergency Rental Assistance program. This program ensures that eligible households have the funds needed to pay rent. Households may be eligible to up to 15 months of assistance if deemed necessary.

To learn more about this program or to apply as a household or a landlord, please visit the Department of Treasury website. Please also contact my office at (501) 324-5941 or hill.house.gov for assistance.

PPP EXTENSION TO PROVIDE CRITICAL SUPPORT FOR STRUGGLING ARKANSAN BUSINESSES

The bipartisan CARES Act, which I supported in May 2020, created the extremely effective Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which has helped small businesses maintain payroll during these challenging times.

The U.S. Department of Treasury under President Trump, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and over 5,000 lenders took quick action to launch this program and have provided an unprecedented 4.8 million in loans. To date the PPP has supported more than 5.6 million PPP loans to small businesses, totaling approximately $560 billion in relief across the United States according to the SBA.

I am proud that this program that I supported has enabled over 64,000 Arkansas small businesses to receive PPP loans -- and the numbers continue to rise since the program was provided additional funding in the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill passed last December.

Last week, I supported H.R. 1799 which extends the PPP even further to provide additional aid to our struggling small businesses and families across central Arkansas.

If your business is struggling due to COVID or shutdown related reasons I urge you to go to the SBA website before March 31st in order to secure the necessary funds to save your business. Please also contact my office at (501) 324-5941 or hill.house.gov for assistance.

PPP EXTENSION TO PROVIDE CRITICAL SUPPORT FOR STRUGGLING ARKANSAN BUSINESSES

On average, there are 17 veterans a day who lose their life due to suicide. Unfortunately, that number has been on the rise since 2005.

Last week, The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a mobile app that offers step-by-step guidance for those who are trying to support someone they care about and for those who are concerned about their own emotional wellbeing. The R.E.A.C.H app is designed to help to veterans have the tools they need right at their fingertips. It does this by teaching these principles:

To R.E.A.C.H those in need, we:

R – Reach out and ask, “How are you…really?” Listen and offer hope.
E – Engage them about possible risk factors and changes in their life to better understand their pain.
A – Attend to their safety. Unless you are concerned about your safety, stay with them.
C – Connect them to resources such as supportive friends and family, professionals or a crisis line.
H – Help them make and maintain a plan to stay safe. Encourage them to share it with others.

When we are hurting, we need to R.E.A.C.H:

R – Reach to a loved one or someone we trust. Don’t be afraid to reach out — now.
E – Engage those we trust and discuss life changes and risk factors that are contributing to our pain.
A – Attend to our safety. Contact someone who can be with us and help us stay safe.
C – Connect with family, friends, or appropriate professionals. Contact a crisis line and be honest so they can help.
H – Help others understand how they can help us stay safe. Share a safety plan if we have one.

This tool also has more information on what to say, how to say it, and how to get resources to connect yourself or someone in need to life saving assistance. I applaud the work of the VA on this life saving app. If you would like to learn more or would like to download the app yourself visit the VA R.E.A.C.H coaching tool website.

Sincerely,

Representative French Hill