My colleagues and I continue to discuss the next steps forward in our efforts to address the coronavirus crisis. Another round of COVID-19 relief legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate this week.

Congress has already provided billions of dollars for Arkansas’s public health and economic recovery efforts. Funding like this can often times be determined by current census data.

You can help ensure Arkansas continues to receive its fair share of federal funding in the future by completing the 2020 Census. 

The U.S. Constitution requires that our population be counted every ten years. It’s happening now, and we need your help to ensure all Arkansans are counted.

This crucial civic duty affects how federal funding is distributed to our communities. The information also helps our community leaders plan for the future and decide where to build new schools, expand public transportation and allocate funds for road projects. Our communities and our state are counting on us all to fill out the short survey to ensure Arkansas receives its rightful share of federal funds.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Arkansas is currently ranked 41st in the country for the number of responses to the 2020 Census. The response rate in the Natural State is 57.3%. This is below the 62.6% national response rate. We can do better.

As census takers begin to make door-to-door visits to homes that have not responded to the 2020 Census, it’s not too late to avoid the knock on the door by completing the nine questions online. 

The importance of getting an accurate count is reflected in statewide initiatives like Arkansas Counts and the creation of the Arkansas Complete Count Committee. Arkansas Counts Chairman and Fort Smith Mayor George McGill recently urged Natural State residents to complete the questionnaire while noting Faulkner County as the top respondent among Arkansas counties and Bella Vista as the highest current response rate among the state's communities.

With less than 100 days to go until the counting period ends for the 2020 Census, we still have time to improve the response rate in Arkansas and ensure we get our fair share of funding.

 

Quick Takes 

• Protecting the Troops: Last week, the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act–a critical step to ensure the men and women wearing our nation’s uniform have the resources and funding they need to accomplish their missions and defend our country and its interests. In advance of Senate passage, I spoke in favor of this legislation and the provisions included in the bill to strengthen Arkansas’s role in protecting our national security. Now it’s time for Senate and House members to come together and craft a compromise bill to send to the president’s desk and be signed into law.
  
  
• Supporting Rural Health Needs: COVID-19 is exasperating the stress rural health care systems are under. These already financially-strapped hospitals now face catastrophic cash shortages as the inability to provide non-emergency care has led to an even larger revenue loss. Many have furloughed staff, instituted massive cuts or are closing their doors. We’re taking action to provide funding to these facilities and protect the long-term viability of healthcare in rural areas.
  
  
• Advocating for Child Care Providers: The current public health crisis has increased struggles for child care providers. We must ensure these caregivers can continue to provide this vital service moms and dads rely on so they can return to work. I helped introduce the Back to Work Child Care Grants Act of 2020, legislation to assist child care providers in offering critical, affordable services for hardworking families during the COVID-19 emergency.
  
  
• Helping Small Businesses: More than 42,500 Arkansas small businesses have been approved for participation in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to help them remain operational and continue to pay employees throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. This has been a critical lifeline that shouldn’t be burdensome. That’s why I’m supporting legislative efforts to simplify loan forgiveness for employers who have received loans of $150,000 or less.
  
  
• Recognizing Arkansas Veterans: The ‘Salute to Veterans’ series honors the service and sacrifice of Arkansas veterans who served our nation in uniform. In the latest edition, I highlighted the service of Korean War veteran Clem Kordsmeier of Conway. His memories of his time in uniform are an important part of our history and have been submitted to the Veterans History Project.
  
  
• Connect on Social Media: Stay up to date with what I’m doing for Arkansans via social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.