As parts of Arkansas reach record-high May temperatures, there is excitement about the summer and the opportunities we have to connect with the unique environment in our state. We are blessed to have amazing treasures in our backyard that provide endless enjoyment for outdoor enthusiasts.
As parts of Arkansas reach record-high May temperatures, there is excitement about the summer and the opportunities we have to connect with the unique environment in our state. We are blessed to have amazing treasures in our backyard that provide endless enjoyment for outdoor enthusiasts.
LITTLE ROCK – During the 2023 regular session, which adjourned on May 1, the legislature enacted a list of new laws to protect the integrity of elections. Act 352 prohibits election officials at the local or state level from accepting any funds, grants or gifts from any entity other than the governing body.
Now he’s coming for your home loan. The Biden Administration’s “whole-ofgovernment equity agenda” has reached America’s home buyers, and as could be expected, it turns fairness on its head. Beginning in May, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) changed the loan fees charged to Americans with new mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which back about 60% of all mortgages in the United States. (America’s taxpayers, in turn, backstop the financial commitments of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.)
Oh the error of my ways. The old adage of we’re only human and we all make mistakes hit hard this week.
Since its inception in 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has identified 557 cases of human trafficking in Arkansas. Close to 1,500 victims were identified in these cases.
LITTLE ROCK – The scheduled finish of the 2023 regular session of the legislature is May 1, when lawmakers adjourn sine die. Adjournment means that the legislature will not convene again until next year’s fiscal session, which will convene on the second Wednesday in April of 2024.
This week, the House passed a bill to raise the debt limit linked to spending reductions that will slow the growth of government spending over the next 10 years. [See last week’s newsletter for more on that.] The bill’s passage increases pressure on President Joe Biden to end his brinksmanship and come to the negotiating table, rather than sticking to his demand that additional debt be allowed without reining in even one dollar in government spending. One of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle called the GOP effort “mean.” What’s “mean” is passing off increasing debt to our children and grandchildren, which would result in a lower standard of living and increased national security risks in the future. The federal debt is more than $31 trillion, and increasing fast. But numbers that big are hard for us to comprehend. So let’s just look at the interest we are paying that amount.
Farm Bill season is in full swing. Since the start of the year, the pace of work at the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry— on which I serve as the lead Republican—has picked up dramatically.
It will be May as of this publishing which means we are nearly away from springtime here in the Foothills of the Ozarks. It marks our first full spring since the move to the area last year. One thing we noticed is, the trees just sprout leaves overnight. Not even a hint of them blooming then BOOM, leaves are full on the trees.