I hope you and your family are having a restful Labor Day weekend. 

Here are some highlights of this past week hearing from our veterans, visiting with young Arkansas students, meeting with Arkansas’s economic leaders, and much more.

Congratulations to the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Arkansas on your 10th anniversary. It was an honor to be on hand to recognize the dedication of Arkansas’s Indian-American health care professionals and how you give back to the state. Governor Hutchinson, Lt. Governor Griffin and I are so proud of AAPI's efforts to improve our community. 
 

Sweet Home, Arkansas

Appreciate Minnie Hayes (third from right) for showing me the Sweet Home site of the Henry L. Dumas Cultural Center. The center is named after the late Dumas, a poet who hailed from Sweet Home. Minnie and her team are working to restore a once-thriving grocery store, and I look forward to working with them as they assess the ways and means to build their cultural center and library. 
 

Little Rock School District's Community Blueprint 

I was on hand as the Little Rock School District announced their Community Blueprint. I had a good visit with LRSD Superintendent Mike Poore, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, Fitz Hill of Arkansas Baptist College, and Marla Johnson of Aristotle to discuss this vision for LRSD. I am excited to work with LRSD to accomplish their goal to provide the best learning environment for all students, choice for parents, and increased incentives for employees. 

Serving Central Arkansas Veterans 

It's a privilege to be with our veteran heroes. During my meeting with Paul Bunn (Veterans Outreach Ministries), Leodis Gupton (National Association of Black Veterans), Isaiah Dyer, and Luther Bowden, we discussed concerns and solutions for our complicated Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system and what we’re doing in Washington to help.  If you or a veteran you know needs assistance, please contact Tom McNabb, Director of Military and Veterans Affairs / Deputy District Director, at (501) 358-3481. 

Bringing and Keeping Jobs to Arkansas 

I was joined by Bryan Day (Director, Little Rock Port Authority), Jay Chesshir (President, Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce), Stacy Hurst (Chairwoman, Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission), and others to provide an update on our efforts for growing the economy and creating more jobs in central Arkansas. In 2011, the Port Authority received $10 million to expand the Port’s industrial park by over 600 acres, and I have joined the Port Authority and City in arranging for the FAA to move the VOR cone used for air traffic control from this site to bring so we may complete this project.

Spending Time with Young Leaders 

I was delighted to be at Gibbs International Magnet School to help kick off their yearlong theme of leadership. I was encouraged by the curiosity and civic-mindedness of these third and fourth graders. I want to offer a special thanks to the Little Rock School District for the invitation and to the incomparable Pat Ward from Arkansas Talks for joining me.
 

The August winner of my Golden Fleece Award is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for making what appears to be an estimated nearly $1 billion in improper payments to Qualified Health Plan issuers for enrollees that were either ineligible or did not have the proper documentation.

At a time when healthcare costs are skyrocketing and our nation is over $20 trillion in debt, it is essential that our federal agencies act as good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars. This lack of oversight and accountability is unacceptable, and action must be taken immediately because hardworking Arkansans and Americans deserve better. 

Click here so see my letter to CMS.

Please contact Chloe Maxwell, Grants Coordinator, at (501) 324-5941 for help with federal grants. We can help identify opportunities and assist with support letters.

Here are two federal grant programs that were recently announced

1. The VA is making available $200 million in grants to help veterans. These funds will support more than 13,000 transitional housing beds through the VA’s Grant and Per Diem Program.  This will help our homeless veterans move from the streets to a home.  I am proud of Congress’s work to make these funds available and appreciate the VA’s continued work to help our brave service members who sacrificed to defend our freedoms.   Read more here.  

2. The USDA announced this week they are making available $3.5 million through the Delta Health Care Services Grant. This funding will help meet unmet health needs in the Delta Region.  Communities across Arkansas depend on programs that help provide access to vital, high-quality health care and this funding will promote cooperation among health care professionals, institutions of higher education, research institutions and other entities in the Delta Region.  More information can be found here. 

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 go to my website at hill.house.gov.

Representative French Hill