Dear Friend,
This year has been an exciting year for our nation, and I am honored to have spent the first seven months of the year serving and representing so many wonderful Arkansans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
While I am looking forward to continuing my service to our great state and the Second Congressional District, I am also proud of the important work that we have accomplished in Congress to address the needs of Arkansans and hardworking Americans throughout the country. I wanted to share some of these highlights with you.
Constituent Services
My most important job in Congress is serving central Arkansans, and I continue to place a priority on my office's top-notch constituent services, particularly to our veterans, service members, and elderly in Arkansas.
Since coming to Congress, my office has been responsible for helping over 2,500 Arkansans seeking assistance with a federal agency, and my team of three combat-wounded veterans have recovered over $3 million in essential benefits for Arkansas's veterans. I have also assisted Arkansas organizations with 145 requests for federal grant funds to support our economy and important projects in the state. I will continue to support grant applications for groups and organizations in Arkansas and ensure that federal funds are available for future projects that benefit the district.
Tax Reform
In December 2017, Congress took an important and historic step when it passed a comprehensive tax reform bill for the first time in more than 30 years. Families in central Arkansas already are seeing more of their income now - nearly $2,000 for a middle-income family of four and individuals, according to the Tax Foundation. Also, the standard deduction has doubled to $12,000 for individual filers and $24,000 for married filers creating a larger group of individuals with no tax burden and simplifying the fax filing process for Arkansas families.
Arkansans and Americans deserve to have back the time and money spent filing to direct towards your family and financial future. Arkansas's job creators deserve the right to decide how best to invest their hard-earned dollars - including developing and expanding their businesses to support their community and to get Arkansans and Americans back to work. This reform is good for families and businesses, and these extra dollars will go a long way.
Veterans
Veterans issues remain at the forefront of Congressional action and a top priority of mine as I represent central Arkansas. In May, I was proud to support the VA MISSION Act, which builds upon the VA Accountability Act the House passed last year. It also funds the Veterans Choice Program, which helps veterans get medical care in their community - all paid for by the VA - because quality care for our veterans is non-negotiable.
As I mentioned, I have on staff three combat-wounded veterans dedicated to helping veterans. They are led by Tom McNabb, my Director of Military and Veterans Affairs, who can be reached at (501) 324-5941 if we can help you or a veteran you know. Our veterans and families have my unwavering support, and I will continue to fight until each veteran has the benefits they have earned and deserve.
Defense
I am proud to represent the Little Rock Air Force Base (LRAFB), the home of combat airlift, and Camp Joseph T. Robinson, the headquarters of the Arkansas National Guard. This year marked the 57th consecutive year that the House and Senate have come together in a bipartisan fashion to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to give our troops the resources they deserve. Our armed forces are the most effective in the world, and our brave men and women in uniform deserve the funding, tools, and support they need to successfully complete their strategic missions around the globe and know that their nation stands behind them one hundred percent - no exceptions.
Opioids
Everyone knows someone who has been touched by the terrible disease of drug addiction. The abuse of prescription drugs, the dependency on these pills that can develop following treatment, and the drug addiction associated with opioid abuse has affected millions of Americans. In June, the House passed with bipartisan support over 50 bills to address every aspect of the opioid crisis. These bills range from ensuring that health care providers have access to a patient's complete medical history to allowing hospice employees to dispose of opioids after a patient's death to securing our mail system from shipments of fentanyl and other dangerous synthetic drugs coming from China and Mexico, to name just a few measures. It is critical that Congress act now to avert these tragedies and provide effective treatment to those with addiction.
The House has accomplished much so far this year, but we still have much more work to do. I hope that you will continue to contact me to let me know what issues are most important to you. I look forward to continuing to serve my constituents in Arkansas's Second Congressional District.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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