In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court sided with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, and Agudath Israel of America, in a dispute over COVID-19 restrictions put in place by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, limiting the number of people attending religious services.

The majority ruled in favor of the religious organizations who argued that the restrictions violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment because the regulations treated the houses of worship more harshly than comparable secular facilities.

I recently spoke on the House floor urging governors and elected officials to protect Americans’ freedom of religion and to halt the double-standard that is currently infringing on Americans’ right to worship within religious institutions.

While many secular institutions remain open, governors in states such as Kentucky, California, Louisiana, and Virginia have enforced more restrictions on religious institutions than they have on any other public institution. 

Last week, the White House announced that, in order to prevent a surge of virus cases, they suggest measures such as encouraging masks and staying vigilant by social distancing and avoiding large casual social gatherings.

Dr. Fauci also stated that while cases have recently risen, the country will not reinstate a national lockdown.

In Arkansas, Governor Asa Hutchinson has taken measures to ensure that every Arkansan may continue to practice their freedom of religion, while adhering to a mask mandate and other necessary precautions, in order to protect others. 

Many churches currently rope off every other pew and require that worshippers wear a mask for the entirety of the service. In cases such as these, Arkansans may still protect one another, yet maintain their freedom of religion.

When there are other preventative measures in place to retain the spread of the virus, it is wrong for governors to deny worshippers their First Amendment rights. The liberties enshrined in the Constitution still apply to every American, even in the middle of a national emergency. 

Elected officials should allow Americans to worship in a safe and responsible manner and not infringe on our religious freedom.

As an emerging technological hub, Arkansas provides our students with the means to develop their talents and skills in technology, and other cutting edge disciplines.

Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, central Arkansas students once again have demonstrated their tenacity in science technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, by displaying their exceptional coding skills in the 2020 Congressional App Challenge.

This great tradition allows middle school and high school students to show off their programming skills in a friendly competition with their peers. I have always been a proud advocate for this event, which showcases the talent of Arkansas youth. In addition, I was honored to serve as co-chair of this nationwide event once again this year.

Special thanks to Errin Stanger, the Deputy Director for the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, and Daniel Schutte, the Managing Director for Accelerator Programs at the Venture Center, for judging the competition in central Arkansas.

I am pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge:

First Place: Noah Taylor, a senior from Conway High School in the Conway Public School District. His app, “Reaffirming Reminders,” would allow users to set up notifications to include an inspirational quote about love, hope, or wisdom.

Second Place: Andrew Baker and Evan Ayers, juniors from Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock School District. Their app, “First Vote,” would provide useful voting information, tools, and resources to Arkansans.

Third Place: Cassidy Bates, a senior Conway High School. Her submission, “ArtSpot,” would provide artistic inspiration, tutorials, and techniques to motivate its users, as well as allowing users to upload their art.

Honorable Mention: Anthony Kappa and Ty McCormick from Beebe Junior High. Their app, “Where to Recycle,” would show its users where to take their recyclables around the state.

Honorable Mention: Alissa Lloyd, Mecate Marsh, and Andrew Mitchell from Beebe Junior High. Their app, “Leading Diseases in Arkansas,” would educate its users on common diseases in Arkansas, along with symptoms, treatments, and photos.

All of our participants should be proud of their hard work and creativity. I look forward to seeing the great things that these students will do for our state in the future. 

For the remainder of this year, the IRS will continue to issue EIPs for those who applied. If you don't file taxes every year and you registered online or by mail, the IRS should be issuing your payment by December 31.

Any person who has missed the November 21st deadline will need to wait until next year and claim it as a credit on their 2020 federal income tax return.

Those who received their original EIP by direct deposit will also have any supplemental payment direct deposited to the same account. Others will receive a check.

If you missed the November 21st deadline, you may still be eligible to receive a payment in 2021. You will be eligible for receiving a payment if you did not register online or by mail and did not receive a payment in 2020, or, you received a payment, but it wasn’t the full amount of the EIP. The maximum credit for a payment is $1,200, or $2,400 if married filing jointly, along with $500 for each qualifying child.

If registering online, one may use the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool.

Eligible recipients can check the status of their payments using the Get My Payment tool on IRS.gov

Please contact me at (501) 324-5941 or Hill.House.Gov if I can answer any questions for you about EIP.

Sincerely,
 
Representative French Hill