Addressing Supply Chain Woes This week, I introduced three bills:   The Supply Chain Improvement Act  Would direct the Secretary of Transportation to give priority consideration to projects that improve or build resiliency in the supply chain.  The Rolling Stock Resiliency Act Would protect U.S. jobs by prohibiting public transportation agencies from procuring rolling stock from foreign State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) with federal funds. The Retirees to Rail Act Would permit experienced and trained retired railroad workers to temporarily return to their previous employment without a suspension of their retirement annuity.    I also joined Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12) as an original co-sponsor on his bill, Rail Employee Training Modernization Act, which would permit rail companies to offer the classroom portion of their training through virtual instruction.    All of these bills are designed to help address gaps in the supply chain which have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic by boosting the transportation workforce and prioritizing investment in road, rail, transit, and port infrastructure projects.   American families should never have to face Soviet-style empty grocery or pharmacy store shelves. This is unacceptable in America. We must address gaps in our supply chain and return to the days when Americans could be confident they would find what they need at their local markets and other retail outlets. Fixing our supply chain starts with investments in vital infrastructure projects and boosting our transportation workforce. That’s why I’m pleased to support these common-sense measures which will have a lasting impact.

H.R. 1808 – “Assault Weapons” Ban Act – No Plays word games to ban commonly used firearms.  The DOJ has released a report indicating that a ban on semi-automatic weapons would do little to combat gun violence. Takes away the rights of the millions of law-abiding gun-owners.   H.R. 5118 – Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act – No Fails to provide new tools or authorities to address the wildfire crisis. Gives $50 million in grants to “disadvantaged communities” for activities that do nothing to prevent wildfires or protect forest health. Requires the forest service to direct resources to conducting a 10 year report, just a few short months after they have already submitted a report.   H.R. 263 – Big Cat Public Safety Act – No Creates a substantial expansion of federal regulations under the Lacey act.   Is duplicative – USDA already has inspectors and law enforcement in place to address animal welfare issues.   H.R. 4346 – Chips-Plus Act – No CBO estimates that CHIPS-plus increases the deficit by $79.3 billion over the years 2022 to 2031 and will authorize $200 billion over the same window. Will not alleviate existing semi-conductor supply constraints because it will take years for new facilities to ramp up and have production begin.  Lacks guardrails for grant funding and little direction on how this money should be spent, allowing the administration to spend where they please with minimal congressional oversight.   H.R. 6929 – Susan Muffley Act – No Sets a terrible precedent in the single-employer pension system. Uses taxpayer dollars to top up pension benefits that were cut due to Delphi’s bankruptcy.

One of the most important things I do as a U.S. Representative is help people communicate with federal agencies.  In the month of July, my office closed over 100 cases, and since the start of the new year, we have been able to facilitate $1,223,043 in benefits owed to constituents in the First District! If you need assistance with an agency, please call my Jonesboro office (870) 203-0540 or fill out the form here.

Jonesboro Sun Educators and law enforcement invited to attend trainings Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) will be hosting a series of trainings focused on school safety and bomb threat management at Arkansas State University on August 2 - 4.