Two state mayors join in Zika push
Seventy-seven mayors, including two from Arkansas, signed a letter Tuesday calling on Congress to approve funding to combat the Zika virus.
The letter, which was addressed to House and Senate leaders, was sent by the mayors of some of the nation's largest cities, including New York and Los Angeles.
But it also included the names of De Queen Mayor Billy Ray McKelvy and Ward Mayor Art Brooke.
The letter said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "estimates that it will run out of funding to combat Zika at the end of this month, just as mosquito season reaches its peak."
The mayors urged federal officials to take prompt action.
In an interview, McKelvy said his community has "mosquitoes, lots of mosquitoes," and town officials aren't taking any chances.
In De Queen, they're spraying every week, and they've increased spending on insecticides that target the small, blood-sucking flies.
Given concerns about Zika, "We tried to do a little bit extra this year," McKelvy added.
Miss America gets Womack tribute
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack paid tribute Tuesday to one of his constituents, two days after she was named Miss America.
During a roughly minute-long speech, the Rogers Republican praised Savvy Shields on the House floor, noting that she'd won the talent competition as well as the title.
"I speak on behalf of the 3rd District and the state of Arkansas in congratulating Savvy on representing her hometown of Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas and the entire Natural State so well on the national stage," he said.
The Miss America pageant took place in Atlantic City, N.J., but the contestant orientation was held in Washington in July. During that trip, Shields visited all four members of the House delegation from Arkansas and was on hand for a Capitol Hill lockdown, stuck in a Senate office building while authorities searched for a gunman a few blocks away.
On Tuesday, Womack predicted that Shields will have a remarkable year, adding, "Savvy will represent all of us with the grace, poise and confidence that earned her this crown."
Westerman talks on energy, forests
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman appeared on C-SPAN on Thursday morning to discuss energy and forestry policy. The Hot Springs Republican said he hopes lawmakers will pass legislation changing the way Washington manages federal forests.
During his 15-minute appearance, he took calls from viewers and discussed the importance of forestry in Arkansas.
"I've got over 2 million acres of federal forest in my district," he said.
Westerman is the only member of Congress with a graduate degree in forestry, and he has sponsored legislation that would allow the U.S. Forest Service to receive additional funding in years when firefighting costs are especially high.
The measure, which would also make it easier to bypass environmental regulations in some circumstances, passed in the House. An amended version of that bill, HR2647, passed in a Senate committee earlier in the week.
"We've got a tremendous resource in our national forests, but unfortunately, because of lack of management over several decades, we're seeing a lot of that prized timberland go up in flames. We're emitting as much as 100 million tons a year of carbon into the atmosphere, we're destroying wildlife habitat," he said. "A healthy forest means clean air, clean water, and everybody wins when we have healthy forests."
Cotton highlights Constitution Day
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton released a video highlighting Constitution Day, which fell on Friday this year.
The recording includes Cotton; U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, reciting the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
At the end, the Republican from Dardanelle stated, "This Constitution Day, let us remain vigilant in upholding these principles, and give thanks to our men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line to defend these words every day."
Delegates to the constitutional convention signed the Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, in Philadelphia. The document was later forwarded to the states for their approval.
Since 2004, Constitution Day has been an official federal holiday, according to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
Boozman meets honored principal
U.S. Sen. John Boozman met last week with a Fort Smith educator who has been named Arkansas' secondary school principal of the year. Ginni McDonald is principal at Northside High School. Boozman is a Northside graduate.
Boozman and McDonald also held a video chat with members of a Northside Advanced Placement government class.
Also last week, Boozman spoke via Skype with a sixth-grade class at Springdale's Hellstern Middle School.
The Rogers Republican fielded students' questions.
The school's principal, Todd Loftin, moderated the event.
On Tuesday, Boozman also attended a ceremony marking the U.S. Air Force's 69th birthday.
The National Security Act of 1947, which reorganized the military, created the Department of the Air Force.
Boozman helped cut the Air Force birthday cake, a chocolate concoction decorated with the Air Force Seal.
Hill votes to block detainee transfers
U.S. Rep. French Hill joined the rest of the House members from Arkansas and voted for legislation to prevent the transfer of prisoners out of the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
President Barack Obama has called for the closure of the prison, which holds terrorists and those suspected of terrorism. Lawmakers have blocked funding for any transfers.
HR5351 passed in the House by a vote of 244-174.
In a written statement, the Little Rock Republican said, "GTMO offers our Nation a safe and secure facility for the custody of the worst perpetrators of terror. Last year, I visited this base and saw first-hand a state-of-the-art facility that enables the proper adjudication of its detainees. The president's mission to close it down flies in the face of our national security interests, and I am glad the House has taken this bipartisan step to ensure this doesn't happen during his presidency."
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.
SundayMonday on 09/18/2016