Dear Friends,

Yesterday, the House passed legislation to extend the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This is terrific news for small businesses and all of the Arkansans they employ.

Monday, Darrin Williams, CEO of Southern Bancorp, and I joined together to write about why Congress should take action to extend the PPP and continue to provide our small businesses and communities much-needed support as we begin to reopen our economy.

Click HERE or on the image below to read our entire op-ed.

I would also like to share some stories from local businesses who have been impacted by this program. To watch, click HERE or on the image below.

YGFBF Kitchen is a minority and women-owned catering business and restaurant located in Conway, AR. When COVID-19 hit Arkansas, MaryAnn Strange, the small business owner and entrepreneur, took a significant hit. However, with the help of the PPP and other small business grants, she was able to maintain her payroll and operations. She’s had her business for four years and built it from the ground up.

In order to qualify for a PPP loan, businesses must have fewer than 500 employees. I, along with other members of Congress, wrote to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Small Business Administration asking that university and college work-study students not be included as part of the 500-employee threshold, which they agreed to.

As a result, one of our Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) here in central Arkansas, Shorter College, which was founded in 1886, was able to receive a PPP loan that ensured they could keep employees on payroll even during the incredibly challenging times facing higher learning.

Additionally, my staff was able to answer questions for North Little Rock First United Methodist Church, which helped them secure a PPP loan allowing the church and daycare to remain operational even during quarantine.

The church's daycare staff of over 35 teachers continued to be fully employed even as the center was forced to close its doors for two weeks. The Children's Enrichment Center continues to offer childcare for over 80 families of first responders and essential employees.

I am glad that this successful program has been extended and will continue to help Arkansans during this difficult time.

Serving Our central Arkansas heroes

Our Veterans Must Receive the Benefits They Are Owed

Ensuring that our central Arkansas veterans have access to the care that they have earned and deserve serving our country, is one of my top priorities as your representative to Congress.

This past month, my team completed 53 cases for veterans who needed help, earning them nearly $365,000 in backpay that the veterans were owed.

My team was recently able to assist a veteran with getting their adapted equipment repaired on their vehicle after a year of trying to get it taken care of themselves. They were unable to leave their home for over a year without outside assistance due to the faulty equipment. Three months after our office got involved, we were able to expedite the repairs and his vehicle is now usable.

My team of veterans stands at the ready to help their fellow veterans through this trying time. If you or someone you know need assistance with the VA or any government agency, please reach out at Hill.House.Gov or call my Little Rock office at 501-324-5941.

TESTIFYING before the China task force about the save act

On Wednesday, I testified before the Republican China Task Force about a growing threat to America's supply chain and my bill, Securing America's Vaccines for Emergencies Act, or SAVE Act, which would put the United States in a better position to defend herself in future emergencies.

When I saw the novel coronavirus spread through the United States in early March, I saw the need for crucial legislation to amend the Defense Production Act (DPA).

I created this bill with the intent of making our Nation less dependent on one country, like China, or too few companies for the crucial and critical ingredients that go into the pharmaceuticals that our citizens use every day.

We need to use our free market system plus the DPA to ensure we have a strategy to diversify our medical supply chain to protect America from future threats and make our country less dependent on countries like China.

Watch my remarks by clicking HERE or by clicking on the image below.

USMCA Officially Replaces NAFTA

Good News for Arkansas

On Wednesday, the new United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) officially replaced the old North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Canada and Mexico are Arkansas's largest trading partners and the USMCA is a smart and effective update to the 1994 NAFTA.

USMCA means more than 100,000 Arkansas farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers will see the opportunity for increased exports, more jobs, and rising wages in 2020 and beyond.

As a member of the USMCA Republican House Whip Team, I was on the front lines of this hard-negotiated trade deal for the past three years because it has the greatest potential to directly improve the lives of central Arkansas families.

This agreement is a much-needed 21st century update of NAFTA and will keep the United States and our North American markets competitive for decades to come. This agreement supports communities in central Arkansas that build, grow, and farm American-made goods.

In Arkansas, USMCA will:

Support the $2.1 billion in exports shipped from Arkansas to Canada and Mexico every year.
Open Canada’s market to sell dairy, wheat, chicken, eggs, and turkey from Arkansas farmers.
Modernize intellectual property (IP) protections allowing Arkansas's growing technology industry to continue driving new innovation and job creation.
Ensure tariff-free trade for Arkansas manufacturers which could have faced up to $225 million in extra taxes without USMCA.

Celebrating 100 years of women's suffrage

Call for Submissions

This week, the Office of the First Lady announced the Building the Movement: America’s Youth Celebrate 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage exhibit, which will honor the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote in America.

To create this exhibit, the First Lady is asking students in grades 3-12 from across America for submissions depicting individuals, objects, and events representing the women’s suffrage movement. One submitted artwork will be chosen from each of the 50 states and territories.

To learn more and to submit your artwork, click HERE or on the image below.

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