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Boozman Bulletin: August in Arkansas
August is one of my favorite months of year because I get to spend more time in Arkansas. As is a tradition of the Congressional calendar, the month of August is designated as an in-state work period that allows members to spend several weeks away from Washington.
I’ve used this time to travel around the state meeting with Arkansans. The first week of August, I made a variety of visits and stops throughout West and South Arkansas. Last week, I met with veterans, visited with veteran-owned businesses and toured Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities where our state’s veterans receive medical care as part of the #ServingARVets tour. This week, I launched my annual #ARisAg Agriculture Tour to get feedback from farmers, ranchers and producers about the needs of one of the most critical industries in our state.
I want to share some of the people I met with and the scenes I observed this month:
I toured Rheem’s heating and cooling system production plant in Fort Smith. Rheem is an important part of Arkansas’s manufacturing industry. The company celebrated 49 years since its first unit rolled off the production line here on the day I visited: August 5th. I was glad to be with them to celebrate this tremendous milestone.
Stirling Soap Company is a veteran-owned small business based in Booneville with a storefront right off of Main Street. I visited with its staff to learn more about the process that goes into producing their hand-made, natural soaps. Owners Rod and Mandy Lovan and their team were very kind to give me a personal tour of their operation.
I visited Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia to meet with administrators and get an update on the school’s growth and development. We also visited the university’s store on the Town Square where I spoke with students and staff members and wished them a great year on campus.
The Ouachita County Medical Center in Camden hosted me for a discussion about rural health care needs and challenges. I was pleased to have this important conversation and learn about how OCMC is working to provide the care and services needed in the community. I also congratulated the staff on being ranked first in Arkansas for hospital safety.
Congressman French Hill and I visited the Little Rock Job Corps Center to tour the campus and discuss expanding career and educational opportunities for Arkansas youth. Job Corps programs are critical to workforce development in our state. Providing access to skilled training helps Arkansans succeed in the 21st century job market.
Arkansas Army National Guard member Maira Campos owns Campos Truck Wash and Repair in Bono, Arkansas. Campos used her GI Bill benefits to earn a degree from Arkansas State University. She showed me around her business while I was on my tour focused on serving veterans.
These Hillcrest High School students from Strawberry, Arkansas interviewed 27 veterans for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and developed a documentary from those interviews. I’m grateful for their teacher Randy Story’s incorporation of this project into the classroom so we can preserve more of our veterans’ memories and experiences of their time in uniform. I had the opportunity to show my appreciation at the Wings of Honor Museum in Walnut Ridge. Learn more about the Veterans History Project here.
Thomas Vaughns was a mechanic for the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII and a Supply Sgt. at Fort Hood, Texas, during the Korean War. He also worked at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the UA Extension Office for many years. I was proud to join the community in honoring Mr. Vaughns with the service medals he earned for his selfless service and sacrifice in World War II and Korea. #ServingARVets
I joined peanut growers, stakeholders and community leaders in Jonesboro for the groundbreaking ceremony of Delta Peanut’s processing facility, which is 100% farmer-owned and expects to begin shelling peanuts from farmers in the Missouri Bootheel, Arkansas and Northeast Louisiana.
Bayyari Elementary School students in Springdale showed me their school garden, which is made possible through a partnership with FoodCorps and the hands-on lessons it provides students about healthier living. I've teamed up with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance to help fight child hunger during the summer by introducing the Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act.
I appreciated the hospitality of Jennifer, Greg and Marvin who showed us around their 6,000-acre row crop farm in Jackson County and shared some of their innovative sustainability and conservation practices.
On the last day of my #ARisAG Agriculture Tour, I visited Texas CLT’s new plant in Magnolia. The company took over the Arkansas Laminating Mill and produces custom engineered cross-laminated timber that can be found in office buildings, barns, schools and churches. It was great to learn more about this material and how the business is impacting the local economy.
Quick Takes:
- Students across the state are back in class for the 2019-2020 school year. I believe in interacting with students and teachers through the power of technology. That’s why I plan to continue connecting with Arkansas classrooms via video chatting services like Skype this school year as I have for the past several years. You can read my column explaining why I think it's important to participate in these conversations by clicking here. If you know of a class that would like to Skype with me, have their teacher call my DC office at (202) 224-4843.
- In Case You Missed It: My bill to address the doctor shortage problem that hurts Arkansans in need of medical care has been getting attention because of its support from groups like UAMS and the Northwest Arkansas Council. You can learn more about what these groups are saying about my legislation, The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019, here.
- Visit my website to stay up-to-date on all the latest issues I'm working on and find more information about ways I can serve you, including internships, academy nominations, the Veterans History Project, Mobile Office Hours and more.
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