Hill asks students to submit artwork
U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., is inviting high school students throughout the 2nd District to compete this week in a virtual congressional art competition.
The deadline to participate is Friday at 5 p.m..
The 2nd District comprises Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner, White, Van Buren, Perry and Conway counties.
The winner's artwork will be hung in a tunnel that connects the U.S. Capitol to the House of Representatives office buildings. The first-place finishers from hundreds of other congressional districts will also be on display.
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Traditionally, a winner gets a free trip to Washington. Assuming the coronavirus pandemic doesn't derail it, this year's winners' reception is scheduled for July 22.
In addition, visitors to Hill's Facebook page will be able to vote for their favorite submissions. The top pick is awarded the Fan Favorite Award.
Complete rules are available on the Little Rock lawmaker's website: https://hill.house.gov/.
Bill holds danger pay for marshals
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has introduced legislation that he's calling the Danger Pay for U.S. Marshals Act.
It would amend the Foreign Relations Authorization Act so that marshals serving overseas would be eligible for extra compensation.
Companion legislation has also been filed in the House.
The U.S. Marshal Service already has a presence in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Colombia. Its workers "face the same risks" and should be eligible for the same danger pay as their counterparts in the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI, Cotton said.
"Our bill would eliminate that discrepancy and ensure that USMS employees receive appropriate compensation for the dangers they face serving our nation," the lawmaker from Dardanelle said in a news release.
Cotton has found bipartisan support for the measure. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is a co-sponsor, and the House version has backing from members of both parties.
The Federal Law Enforcement Organization Association and the Women in Federal Law Enforcement have already announced their support.
Foundation scores D.C. lawmakers
The American Conservative Union Foundation on Wednesday released its annual ratings, providing two Arkansas Republicans with its Award for Conservative Achievement.
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro and U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs received scores of 89% from the organization.
The organization gave lower scores to four other Republican members of the Arkansas delegation. U.S. Rep. French Hill of Little Rock and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers received scores of 76%. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Dardanelle got a 73%. U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers received a 64%.
The American Conservative Union hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which has featured speeches by President Donald Trump the past four years. Its ratings are subjective. Rather than looking at the hundreds of roll call votes that a lawmaker casts, it picks roughly two dozen that it then uses as a measuring stick. Frequently, they are not final votes on legislation but instead are votes on amendments to bills.
The complete ratings and a list of the votes are posted at http://acuratings.conservative.org/.
Another analysis, by statistician Nate Silver's website, FiveThirtyEight.com, scores lawmakers based on how frequently they vote "in line with Trump's position." Its marks were: Womack (98.2%), Hill (97%), Crawford (96.9%), Westerman (94.6%), Boozman (94.2%) and Cotton (87.6%).
The website is https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/.
Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (501) 908-5204 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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