District Update | November 18, 2018
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Dear Friends,

This week was a productive one as I spent time in Arkansas and Washington representing you. I continued to be a leader on trade issues, met with Arkansas families who visited our nation's capital, and had my bill to enhance and preserve Arkansas’s Flatside Wilderness pass the House, which is good news for Arkansans and visitors who enjoy the outdoors. Here are some of the highlights.

Enhancing and Preserving Arkansas's Flatside Wilderness
I am pleased that my bill that allows Arkansans and visitors, young and old, to enjoy more of one of Arkansas’s most unspoiled landscapes - Flatside Wilderness - passed the House on Tuesday, which means it's one step closer to becoming law. This bill will add 640 acres of existing Forest Service land to the current Flatside Wilderness area.

As an avid outdoorsman, I'm excited that future generations will be able to explore and have access to more of this beautiful wilderness. I am particularly pleased to have the honor to name this addition for a tireless conservationist and advocate for Arkansas wilderness who is also a good friend, former Arkansas Congressman Ed Bethune. 

I gave a speech on the House floor in support of this legislation, which you can view here. I look forward to working with the Senate to get it across the finish line and onto the president’s desk for signature.

Promoting Trade Policies that Benefit Arkansans 
This week I had the unique opportunity to engage on the topic of trade with a Cabinet Secretary, some of the smartest trade minds in the private sector, and one of Arkansas’s important trading partners. Trade is critically important to Arkansas’s economy, and I enjoyed engaging on this issue in an exceptional series of meetings and events.

On Thursday, I hosted a productive roundtable where my colleagues and I heard from trade policy experts from Goldman Sachs. We had a helpful conversation about tariffs, the impact of China, and current trade agreements with various countries. I discussed my alternative to the Trump administration's approach to across-the-board tariffs on steel and aluminum.

These are issues that directly impact us in Arkansas, especially as it relates to our state's exports. I will continue to promote trade arrangements that
benefit our state and help grow Arkansas's economy.

Spurring on Arkansas's Agricultural Industry
Also on Thursday, I joined my Arkansas colleagues - Senator John Boozman, Senator Tom Cotton, Congressman Steve Womack, Congressman Rick Crawford, and Congressman Bruce Westerman - for a working-breakfast meeting with United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. Agriculture is the largest industry in Arkansas and an integral part of our state's economy and heritage. I appreciate Secretary Perdue for hosting us to discuss how we can work together to help our Arkansas farm families prosper. 

Strengthening U.S.-Japan Relations
On Tuesday, I participated in a panel discussion at the Japan-American Society of Washington, D.C. (JASWDC) about U.S.-Japan relations and trade negotiations with the organization’s interim president Dr. Abigail Friedman and Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX).

I've been involved in trade matters with Japan since I served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Corporate Finance during the George H.W. Bush administration, where one of my key assignments was representing the United States as a negotiator in the historic bilateral talks with Japan known as the Structural Impediments Initiative (SII).

Earlier this year, I was selected to serve on the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, which is an independent federal government agency established by Congress in 1975 that promotes educational, cultural, and intellectual exchanges between our two countries. This has given me the opportunity to use my experience to promote policies that will strengthen our economic, security, and cultural relationship with Japan. 

Central Arkansans Visit Our Nation's Capital 
On the top, we hosted Scott and Terri Ausbrooks (left) and Kimberly and Robert Stubbs (right) from central Arkansas. Both couples chose D.C. to celebrate their wedding anniversaries. It’s always good to see fellow Arkansans in Washington and show them around our U.S. Capitol.

On the bottom, Susan (right) and Sarah (left) Downey from Hot Springs Village were here in D.C. this week on a mother-daughter trip. If you or someone you know is visiting D.C., please reach out to my office or go to my website. We would happy to give you and your family a tour of the U.S. Capitol.  

Thank you for taking time to keep up with the work I'm doing on your behalf. If I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please reach out to my office at (501) 324-5941 or Hill.House.Gov

Sincerely,


Representative French Hill
 
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