Since my election to the Senate five years ago, I have spent time during each August visiting with Arkansas’s farmers, ranchers and industry leaders during my annual agriculture tour.

This year’s tour was extremely beneficial as there are a lot of important issues facing the agriculture community that Arkansas producers were eager to discuss. 

Among them:

• Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule: Arkansas farmers, ranchers and private landowners are rightfully concerned about this tremendous overreach that threatens their ability to use their property. This rule will raise costs without providing clean water benefits, take control away from states and increase uncertainty all while causing project delays as Arkansans try to figure out where this EPA power-grab applies.
  
  
• School Nutrition: Discussions about school lunch programs and nutrition were particularly timely as the Agriculture Committee is set to consider legislation reauthorizing child nutrition programs when the Senate reconvenes in September. Prior to the adjournment of the Senate for the August in-state work period, I introduced the Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act, legislation to make federal child nutrition programs more efficient and flexible to reach children in need during the summer months when school meals are not available. I will be working to get his bill included with the larger reauthorization.
  
  
• Country of Origin Labeling: I’ve long opposed the COOL mandate because it alienates our trading partners, increases compliance costs, and offers few benefits. The World Trade Organization once again ruled against the U.S. in this dispute. We’ve seen the decisions against this mandate four times now, and if we don’t get it fixed, this could impact the economy in a very negative way.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to show me their operations and share their concerns about agriculture-related issues during this year’s tour. It is my hope that by the time next year’s tour rolls around, we will have quashed the misguided WOTUS rule, reauthorized the child nutrition law and settled the labeling dispute.

The last week before the August in-state work period begins was a busy one with a vote to defund Planned Parenthood, another harmful EPA mandate announced and my introduction of a bill to provide flexibility to federal child nutrition summer meals programs. Read about these and more in the Week in Review.

• Defund Planned Parenthood Vote: I voted in favor of moving legislation forward that would defund Planned Parenthood and redirect money for the organization to other women’s health care services. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats filibustered this bill. We will continue to look for options to achieve this goal. Watch my visit with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business about why this action is necessary.
  
  
• EPA Announces Flawed Carbon Mandate: We intend to vigorously fight the EPA’s carbon mandate that makes Arkansas families vulnerable to high energy costs, electricity blackouts and job cuts. That pain falls hardest on low-income families and seniors living on a fixed-income who will be forced to pay more for electricity and many other essential needs. These news rules will drive industry overseas, hurting American workers and creating foreign factories that emit far more than we would.
  
  
• New Bill to Provide Flexibility to Federal Child Nutrition Summer Meals Programs: I introduced the Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act to make federal child nutrition programs more efficient and flexible to reach children in need during the summer months when school meals are not available.
  
  
• Senate Approves New Name for Helena-West Helena Federal Building: On Wednesday, I took to the Senate floor to call up and pass S.1707 which renames the Helena-West Helena Federal building in honor of Judge Jacob Trieber, the nation’s first Jewish Federal Judge, and a long-time resident and community leader of Phillips County. The Senate unanimously approved the bill, which I introduced with Senator Cotton.
  
  
• 125^th Anniversary of the Law Creating UAPB Commemorated: A resolution I introduced to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act, the law that established educational opportunities for African-Americans with the creation of 19 land-grant universities passed the Senate by unanimous consent. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff was created by the Second Morrill Act and is an accomplished leader in agriculture innovation. I am proud to recognize UAPB and all 1890 Land-Grant Universities.

• Effort to Halt ITAR Changes: I joined with twenty-seven of my colleagues to urge Secretary of State John Kerry and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Anthony Dearth to modify or delay proposed changes to definitions in the International traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) which has the potential to limit Americans’ constitutionally-protected freedoms.  

• Korean War Wall of Remembrance Called for: I joined with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) to introduce legislation that would authorize a Wall of Remembrance to be added to the Korean War Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
  
  
• Veterans History Project in the News: Last Saturday, my office hosted a Veterans History Project workshop in Springdale to teach Arkansans how they can help capture the experiences of our veterans and have them included in the collection at the Library of Congress. I am proud to see so many people are interested in participating in the project and sharing the stories of our veterans. Watch KNWA’s report from the workshop