Washington news in brief

Cotton still unsure on health bill effort

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton doesn't know whether Republicans will be able to reach an agreement on health care before they leave for the August recess, he said in an interview late last week.

"I hope we will. We still have a few holdout Republican senators, though," he said Thursday. "I wouldn't have guessed that so many Republicans who campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare would find it so hard to do, but I'm still eager to do it because I know that Obamacare is hurting a lot of Arkansans."

Asked what will happen if Republicans renege on their promise to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Cotton said: "I'm not worried about the political consequences here. I'm worried about the consequences for Arkansans who are suffering from the pain inflicted by Obamacare, from higher premiums and losing their insurance coverage or not being able to see their normal doctor. That's where my focus has been and that's where my focus is going to remain till we get it right."

The absence of Sen. John McCain adds to the uncertainty; the Arizona Republican revealed last week that he's battling brain cancer.

Cotton, a Dardanelle Republican who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee with McCain, said he's hoping his friend and colleague recovers.

"Glioblastoma is a serious kind of brain cancer, but I know if there's any person who can beat brain cancer it's John McCain because he's beaten the odds all his life," Cotton said.

Crawford promotes

employers in state

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, whose district is in northeast Arkansas, held what he called a STEM and Manufacturers Tour last week.

The five-day event kicked off Monday at Arkansas State University and wrapped up Friday with stops at Nucor in Blytheville and Big River Steel in Osceola.

Educators from the district traveled to 14 plants and factories, learning about the businesses' operations and workforce needs.

The Republican from Jonesboro was on hand for the tour's first and final days.

"We have so many excellent, dynamic, and caring educators who want their kids to grow and succeed here at home, and what we're trying to do is connect those educators to future employers and continue to build an education-to-career ecosystem in rural Arkansas," Crawford said in a written statement.

In Washington, Crawford attended a meeting of the House Agriculture Committee as well as a meeting of its subcommittee on nutrition.

Crawford also met last week with Gregory Wood, executive director of Mountain Home's Hospice of the Ozarks; with 2007 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Justin Minkel; and with Todd Martin, executive director and chief executive officer of the Jonesboro-based Independent Professional Seed Association.

Game & Fish director

pushes wildlife bill

Jeff Crow, director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, urged the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to pass the Hunting Heritage and Environmental Legacy Preservation for Wildlife Act.

The bipartisan legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Boozman, and has the support of dozens of groups, including Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Among other things, the bill reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, a law that has helped to protect thousands of acres of migratory-bird habitat in Arkansas.

The legislation also would offer protection for farmers who allow duck hunting on their property. If approved, farmers could use normal agricultural practices or leave standing crops in flooding areas without violating anti-baiting provisions.

The measure would be welcomed by Arkansas rice growers, who possess highly coveted hunting grounds.

Crow's Capitol Hill testimony Wednesday noted the importance of outdoor recreation to the state. About 100,000 people hunt ducks in Arkansas each year. Waterfowl hunting supported more than 4,700 jobs and generated more than $236 million in annual retail sales, he said, citing a 2011 survey.

"These significant economic contributions cannot be overlooked and provide much-needed economic stability for our state," he added.

Boozman, who serves on the committee, said it was good to have Crow on the panel.

"Nobody's more knowledgeable," the Republican from Rogers said. "We're just pleased that we've got somebody of this caliber."

Westerman holds

1st hearing as chief

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, the new chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, held his first hearing since receiving the post.

The topic: Examining Impacts of Federal Natural Resources Laws Gone Astray.

Tuesday's subcommittee meeting focused on the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.

In his opening statement, the Republican from Hot Springs said those and other federal laws have been "stretched beyond Congress' original intent."

As a result, the federal agencies responsible for implementing them "enjoy far more power and exercise more discretion in implementing these laws than Congress ever intended."

This was the second such hearing that the subcommittee has held. Previously, it examined the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Indian Reorganization Act and the Wilderness Act.

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 07/23/2017

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