WASHINGTON -- Three members of the Arkansas congressional delegation have been named to the conference committee that will work on the farm bill.
The House and the Senate passed different versions of the legislation, which includes agriculture provisions as well as nutrition and anti-hunger programs.
The House-Senate conferees will focus on reconciling the two bills, crafting a compromise that both chambers can back.
House Speaker Paul Ryan named 29 Republicans to the conference committee, including U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro and U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers will also be one of the conferees.
Boozman said colleagues looked forward to working with their House counterparts to come up with a bill "that will put the safety nets in place that our farmers need."
Governor takes in Little Rock in NYC
Before attending a White House bill signing last week, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson paused in New York City for a little business and (Off) Broadway.
"I had a couple of meetings on behalf of the state, economic development type meetings, and then I also went to see the Little Rock ... on Sunday, which is a play centered on the nine students that integrated Central High School," the Republican said.
Written and directed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, Little Rock got a generally positive review from The New York Times.
It is scheduled to run through Sept. 8.
"Mr. Maharaj's dialogue sometimes suffers from the show's desire to educate, but he does a beautiful job of balancing heartache with just enough humor. It is not a perfect play, but it is a deeply moving testament," The Times' Laura Collins-Hughes wrote.
Hutchinson was also impressed with the performance.
"It was very, very good. I highly recommend it," he said.
Arkansan tagged as Democrat to watch
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is listing an Arkansan as one of its "state Democrats to watch."
Alan Hughes of Bismarck was the candidate the group singled out. He is running against Republican state Rep. Laurie Rushing of Hot Springs in District 26.
Hughes has been president of the Arkansas AFL-CIO for more than two decades. Rushing is a real estate broker.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee describes itself as "the only organization exclusively committed to electing Democrats to state legislatures all over the country and winning Democratic control of chambers."
The Washington-based group highlighted 37 candidates from 16 states. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee says Democrats in state legislatures have made gains since President Donald Trump's inauguration, flipping 44 seats since Jan. 20, 2017.
Republicans continue to dominate, however, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Thirty-one legislatures are controlled by Republicans and 14 by Democrats as of July 11, the nonpartisan organization said. Four states are split, with Democrats controlling one chamber and Republicans controlling the other. (Nebraska's Legislature is nonpartisan and unicameral.)
Hill honors veteran, retiring professor
U.S. Rep. French Hill has returned to central Arkansas for the August recess. But before heading out of Washington, he paid tribute to two of his constituents on the House floor. In one speech, he congratulated R.D. Kinsey "on becoming the first African-American to be elected as commander of the American Legion Department of Arkansas."
Kinsey, a Vietnam-era veteran, was elected to the post on June 24. He is the founding commander of American Legion Post 74 in North Little Rock.
The Air Force veteran from Sherwood has "proven his devotion to community and our state and veterans," Hill said in his speech. "He'll be a great leader for Arkansas' American Legion."
The Republican from Little Rock also gave a speech congratulating Dan Tullos on his retirement from Harding University.
The professor has been "a key figure in education and communications sciences in Arkansas" for decades, Hill said.
Since 1979, Tullos has played an important role at the school, serving as a "professor, program director and chair of the communications sciences and disorders department," Hill noted.
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 08/05/2018