CARES Act

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) has awarded $6.42 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to 26 Arkansas cities and counties. The grants were awarded under the General Assistance set-aside, part of Arkansas’ $18.4 million 2020 formula grant allocation,…

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson has announced that the USDA is on track to provide a record level of support for rural working capital and other business capital needs in…

Today I’d like to talk about the federal Payroll Protection Plan or PPP, which has kept many Arkansas companies alive during the pandemic. Congress passed the CARES Act to help Americans navigate the pandemic. PPP was one of the programs…

Over the last six years in Congress, I have been humbled to represent our families, businesses, and local governments in Central Arkansas. When I ran for Congress in 2014, I committed to working to lower taxes, create jobs, and grow the…

Across the globe, industries are still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted supply chains, limited operations or shuttered businesses altogether. Arkansas is no different, having seen restaurants and other businesses have operations reduced in an…

COVID-19 has highlighted some of the shortcomings of our broadband connectivity, but the pandemic also has created opportunities for us to accelerate our expansion of internet service, which I’d like to talk about today. Earlier this year, I created a…

Rising concerns over COVID-19 outbreaks during the upcoming school year have compelled state officials to investigate leave policies for school employees. On Friday, Aug. 7, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced his support for a new appropriations act that would provide funding…

The City of Lonoke will be receiving $2 million to increase its broadband capabilities. The Arkansas Department of Commerce will be providing the funds as part of the Arkansas Rural Connect (ARC) broadband grant program. This is the third grant…

Under our state’s broadband initiative, the number of Arkansans with access to high-speed internet is increasing, and today I’d like to talk about the Arkansas Access Point Project, a new program that will make the world wide web available for…

Verizon has become the third company to participate in a recently announced initiative to provide increased internet access to Arkansas students for online learning. Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Wednesday, July 29 that Verizon would be joining AT&T and T-Mobile…