Dear Friends,
Yesterday, I voted against H.R. 6800, the House Democrat's so-called relief bill.
The truth is that over the past three months, Congress has passed an extraordinary series of bipartisan bills that have amounted to $2.9 trillion in spending. This amount is equal to 60% of what our federal government spends in an entire year.
I supported these measures because they were essential to saving lives by combating the virus and for getting our economy back to full capacity.
Yesterday's vote comes before the phase of funding has even been distributed in its entirety to our schools, hospitals, cities, and states. We have not completed getting the money out to restart our economy.
The proper approach to this crisis is to assess what we have implemented, look for gaps, and then introduce bipartisan legislation that can pass both chambers.
Rather than finding solutions that will help the people who are sick, or who have lost their jobs, House Democrats refused to work on a bipartisan basis. Instead, they introduced a bill that will never become law and that would dramatically change our country, including a federal takeover of longstanding election laws, bailing out mismanaged pensions, and increase burdens on small businesses.
I spoke against this bill and urged by colleagues to work in a bipartisan fashion to find real solutions for real people who are struggling due to COVID-19. To watch, click HERE or on the image below.
My focus is on real efforts to defeat this virus and protect Arkansans by incentivizing, rehiring, and removing regulatory barriers to job creation, protecting small businesses from frivolous lawsuits, and introducing bills like the SAVE Act to return our medical supply chain from China.
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Making a Difference in Our Community |
Brock Thompson owns the Thompson Driving School based in Little Rock, AR. The Thompson Driving School is a private school teaching driver's education for new drivers both in the classroom and in the car. They have been in central Arkansas for the past 67 years spanning three generations. They have been successful over all these years because they put their customers and staff first.
Like many others, they were forced to suspend their operations due to COVID-19 and had to make the difficult decision to furlough their part-time employees. Unfortunately, part-time workers are not generally eligible for unemployment benefits.
Fortunately, due to the PPP loan they received on April 16 from U.S. Bank, they will be able to make payroll for all of 14 employees, both full-time and part-time. According to Mr. Thompson, the staff has been supportive and flexible, and are looking forward to returning to work.
The PPP has ensured they are able to keep working and meeting the needs of their clients during this challenging time.
I was proud to support this lifeline to families and businesses across Arkansas by voting in favor of H.R. 266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which secured an additional $310 billion in funding for the PPP.
For more information on how PPP loans have impacted Arkansans, click HERE or on the image below to watch a video I recorded on May 11.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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