WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB10954) on Feb. 20, 2024, by legislative attorney L. Paige Whitaker: * * * Recent Developments in the Rights of Private Individuals to Enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act On November 20, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (Eighth Circuit) in Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. Arkansas Board of Apportionment affirmed a federal district court ruling that Sec  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today sent a letter to President Joe Biden, seeking clarification on his February 1, 2024 executive order on imposing sanctions on Israelis "in the West Bank." Senator Cotton asked President Biden to respond by February 27. Text of the letter may be found here and below. February 20, 2024 The Honorable Joseph R. BidenPresident of the United StatesThe White House1600 Pennsylv  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, issued the following commentary to the Washington Examiner: * * * It's Time to Reclaim American Energy Dominance By House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) Washington Examiner One of the defining matters of our time is energy security and affordability. In a world in which China and Russia are attempting to take over the global energy stage daily, Americ  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, issued the following weekly column: Arkansas high school seniors are busy planning for the future. As they study for Advanced Placement exams, buy their final yearbook and anticipate graduation celebrations, many pursuing higher education are filling out financial aid paperwork to help pay for the skyrocketing costs of college. More than 17 million students annually complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to get c  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, along with Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR 04) and other officials, celebrated the start of construction on a new defense industry production plant in Camden, Arkansas. The R2S facility, a joint venture between Raytheon (RTX) and Rafael Advanced Defense System, will produce the Tamir missile for the Iron Dome Weapon System and its varia  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Rep. Steve Womack, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: Congressmen Steve Womack (R-AR-3), Jake LaTurner (R-KS-2), and Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) introduced the Pet Food Uniform Regulatory Reform Act of 2024 (PURR Act) in the House of Representatives. The PURR Act sets uniform standards for dog and cat pet food and pet food labels across the country and allows pet food makers to invest in products that deliver the best nutritional outcomes for our dogs and cats rat  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Rep. Steve Womack, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Womack (R-AR-3) and Congressman Ed Case (D-HI-1) led a bipartisan letter to Speaker Mike Johnson urging the inclusion of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) Amendments Act of 2023 in the next available legislative vehicle. Click here to read as reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Congressman Womack said, "The Compacts of Free Association got the bipartisan stamp of approval from  more