Dear Friends,

On Thursday, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that schools will have a delayed return to school. Districts will be able to begin their school year as early as August 24th or as late as August 26th.

As Governor Hutchinson said, this delay will “give the school districts more time in order to make the adjustments necessary, to make sure their campus is ready, to make sure the teachers are prepared for the blended learning environment that we’re going to be able to go through this year.”

This delay will not modify the number of days in the school year or the number of days that the teachers are contracted and gives our teachers and administrators additional time to prepare to go back to school.

The health and safety of our children is our main priority, which is why we must continue to social distance, wear masks, and wash our hands. I support the Governor’s efforts to ensure the safety and health of Arkansas’s students and teachers.

DEBT RELIEF FOR VETERANS

To recognize and support our veterans, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Thursday that they will offer debt relief to veterans through the end of 2020. The VA is committed to extending debt relief due to COVID-19 and is suspending all actions on veteran debts under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Treasury Department.

I congratulate the VA for this extension on debt relief and, as always, extend my thanks to all central Arkansas veterans for your service.

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.

BOLSTERING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES IN ARKANSAS

There are millions of jobs in the United States that remain unfilled because companies struggle to find applicants with the skills required for the jobs. Apprenticeships and other forms of work-based learning are tailored to help shrink the jobs gap in America.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $450,000 to the State of Arkansas to support activities that improve its ability to serve and expand the Registered Apprenticeship Program model by strengthening the national apprenticeship system, promoting system alignment and partnership, and improving data sharing and data integrity.

The Registered Apprenticeship Program is an excellent opportunity for young people to combine on-the-job training with relevant classroom education because this program provides workers and students with different types of paid training that match the demand of our diverse job market.

Since the creation of the Office of Skills Development (OSD), apprenticeship in Arkansas has increased from roughly 3,000 apprentices across the state to over 6,500, representing an increase from 82 to 144 Registered Apprenticeship Programs and 644 active employers, many of which have a national footprint.

REP. HILL ON BLOOMBERG TELEVISION: “WEAR A MASK”

The number one thing we can do as a nation is to follow CDC guidelines and wear a mask to reduce spreading the coronavirus.

I appreciated Tom Keene’s and Francine Lacqua’s questions on Bloomberg Television about how Arkansas and the United States should to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To watch my interview, click HERE or on the image below.

VISITING SALINE COUNTY

On Friday, I had the pleasure of touring the Saline County Career and Technical School site in Benton this morning with Saline County Judge Jeff Arey, Saline County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Lamont Cornwell, and Danny Thomas.

Construction is underway, with goal of the opening the school for students in 2021.

The CTE School would not have been possible without the community's support where they voted in favor of funding to build the school in 2018.

I also had the opportunity to meet with Saline County Sheriff Rodney Wright and City of Bryant’s Police Captain JW Plouch, Mayor Allen Scott, Student Resource Officer Paul Tarvin, and Police Chief Carl Minden. We discussed efforts being made to keep central Arkansas, and the law enforcement officers who protect her, safe during this pandemic.

In addition, Mayor Allen Scott and Bryant City Engineer Ted Taylor showed me around Alcoa Park and gave me an update about the Bryant Parkway project. Right now, the project is more than halfway done, and my staff and I will continue to assist Bryant City Hall as they move towards the final steps in completing this project.

RECOGNIZING A TALENTED OLYMPIAN

Recently I had the opportunity to recognize Kayle Browning on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kayle was selected to represent Arkansas and the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a part of Team USA’s Olympic Trap Team.

Kayle is from Wooster, Arkansas, graduated from Greenbrier High School and went on to attend the University of Central Arkansas.

She began her target shooting career in sporting clay shooting and made the open All-American team at the age of 12. Kayle also represented Arkansas and Team USA as an alternate in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Congratulations to Kayle on this tremendous achievement.

Sincerely,

Representative French Hill