Dear Friend, 

It is estimated that we lost 515 Arkansans last year due to drug overdose. These deaths are preventable, and as your Congressman I am dedicated to playing my part to protect American families during this crisis.

This Saturday, October 23^rd, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. National Drug Take Back Day was established to take out of circulation unneeded prescription drugs that, in the wrong hands, can lead to addiction. According to the DEA, the majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from the home medicine cabinet.

Our home state of Arkansas has one of the most successful drug take back days in the country – something that we all should be proud of. This day provides an opportunity for everyone to take a small action that can save lives and help prevent addiction before it starts.

I invite you to participate in Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 23, 2021. If you have prescription medications that are no longer needed, visit one of the many collection sites scattered throughout central Arkansas. Click here to find one near you.

Last month, I introduced the Preventing Overdoses and Saving Lives Act. My bipartisan legislation is aimed to combat the opioid crisis by making it easier to prescribe an opioid overdose reversal drug along with an opioid prescription.

Congratulations to ECOJOHN and Leather Brothers for receiving the Governor’s Award for Excellence last week. These businesses, both born here in central Arkansas, have seen tremendous success and expansion over the last several years, and I am glad to see their hard work recognized and awarded.

ECOJOHN, located in North Little Rock, is a manufacturing company, specializing in waste management solutions for off-grid, remote, and mobile applications, and Leather Brothers, located in Conway, is a third-generation leather goods producer that manufactures high-quality pet products distributed worldwide under the name OmniPet®.

The Governor’s Award for Excellence, awarded by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, is the highest honor given by the Governor’s Quality Award. This award measures the progression of businesses towards success and recognizes high-performing and goal-achieving businesses.

Last week, the Social Security Administration announced that Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase 5.9% in 2022.

This increase will begin to be payable to over 64 million beneficiaries beginning in January 2022. This 5.9% increase is the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that is tied to the increase in Consumer Price Index, determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. For more information about this increase, please click here to read about the COLA.

Social Security and SSI beneficiaries should be notified by mail in early December regarding their new benefit amount.

If you have questions about the increase or any other questions related to Social Security, I can help.  Please reach out to my Little Rock office at (501) 324-5941.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak with students at Episcopal Collegiate School about macroeconomics and public service.

During my time with the class, I received many intriguing questions from the young scholars. The two topics that dominated the conversation included problems we’re seeing with the global supply chain and inflation.

While discussing the supply chain, I was also able to talk to the students about my bill, the SAVE Act, which will diversify America’s medical supply chain and make us less dependent on foreign manufacturers.

We wrapped up the discussion on the topic of inflation, discussing the causes of the inflation we’re currently seeing, and what potential effects we could see from it down the road.

I would like to thank Dr. Hall for the opportunity to speak with his class, and I look forward to the next time!

As a member of Congress, one of my greatest privileges is nominating students across central Arkansas to the U.S. service academies. Throughout my time in Congress, I have had the pleasure of nominating over 150 students applying to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Applicants must apply to my office for a nomination by November 1, of their senior year and must also apply to the academies by January 31.

I applaud the young men and women that answer the call of duty to serve our country. Thank you for serving our nation to ensure all central Arkansans and Americans may enjoy the freedoms afforded to us in this country.

For more information about the nominations process, please click here or call my Little Rock office at (501) 324-5941.