Hill twice salutes Pearl Harbor fallen
WASHINGTON -- On Pearl Harbor Day, U.S. Rep. French Hill paid tribute, twice, to the multitude of Americans who have died defending their country.
Taking advantage of a brief lull on Capitol Hill, he and his wife, Martha, traveled to the National World War II Memorial, for the Wednesday service honoring the 2,403 U.S. servicemen and civilians who died on Dec. 7, 1941.
The Hills stood as tributes were delivered and patriotic music played. They then crossed the Potomac River and headed for Arlington National Cemetery.
Once there, the congressman stopped at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and placed a ceremonial wreath at the site.
The Republican from Little Rock said it was important to recognize and remember the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women who liberated the world from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
Hutchinson drops in at Trump offices
While in Washington to speak at a conference and meet with officials of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Gov. Asa Hutchinson stopped by the Washington offices of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team.
For weeks, much of the media's focus has been on New York City, where the next president lives and works. But another group of transition officials is based in the nation's capital.
Both groups work to ensure a smooth transition of power, but each has a different emphasis.
"You've got a transition team in Trump Tower that works more on the personnel side, and then you've got a transition team here that's working on the policy side," Hutchinson explained.
The governor discussed Arkansas Works, the state's expanded Medicaid program, with some of Trump's health and human services policy experts.
The state will be seeking additional federal waivers from the Department of Health and Human Services once Trump takes office.
"Hopefully this puts us ahead of the game as we work with the new administration, and hopefully it will be influential in them developing the next step in national health care policy," the governor said.
Boozman talks with '41 attack survivor
U.S. Sen. John Boozman welcomed Pearl Harbor survivor Harold Mainer to Washington, D.C., last week, meeting with the 95-year-old Charleston resident on Capitol Hill.
Mainer, a native of London in western Arkansas, was a 20-year-old sailor on the day the Japanese attacked.
"I am so grateful that he made the trip to participate in the ceremony at the World War II Memorial and for the time he spent sharing his story with me in my office this week," said the senator, a Republican from Rogers. "He is a living reminder that we can never forget the sacrifices of those who were on the front line of this attack on America that changed our world forever."
In addition to visiting with the senator, Mainer and his son, Mark, also toured the U.S. Capitol building.
Senator recognized for Air Force focus
Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James presented Arkansas' Sen. John Boozman with the Secretary of the Air Force Distinguished Public Service Award.
The medal goes "to individuals who made a profound contribution to the Air Force on the national level, and facilitated substantial progress to the Air Force mission," according to the military branch's website.
Boozman is co-chairman of the Senate Air Force Caucus.
Military officials praised Boozman's work on the caucus and highlighted his support for a new cybertraining school at Little Rock Air Force Base. The program will have its first graduates early next year, officials said.
Griffin attends D.C. education meeting
Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin spent part of last week in the nation's capital getting briefed on education issues and meeting with other state leaders from across the country.
The three-day program was organized by the Hunt Institute, a Durham, N.C., nonprofit group that focuses on education policy.
Griffin, a Republican, was selected as one of the group's Hunt-Kean Leadership fellows, a program that is named after former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt and former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean.
The sessions focused on "foundational issues in education policy: standards, assessments, accountability, school choice, and teachers and school leaders," according to the group's website.
Think tank honors Cotton with award
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton was honored by the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, receiving its first-ever Distinguished Intern Alumni Award.
The presentation was made during the group's annual President's Club Meeting in Washington.
The Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit think tank that seeks to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense," its website states.
Since the start of its internship program in 1979, thousands of young people have served as interns, the organization said.
"By serving his country in the armed forces and defending conservative principles in Congress, Tom is a shining example to all future Heritage interns of a true American patriot," the group's president, Jim DeMint, said.
Westerman gets foresters' award
The National Association of State Foresters on Wednesday presented its Bernard L. Orell Award to U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman.
The honor is named after a man who held the post of state forester in Washington state from 1949-53.
The recognition is given periodically to members of Congress who have made "significant contributions to state and private forestry," the group said.
Westerman successfully guided legislation through the House of Representatives in 2015 to change the way the U.S. Forest Service is funded, while also making changes to the way federal forests are managed.
The Republican from Hot Springs is the only member of Congress with a graduate degree in forestry.
Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.
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