From our family to yours, Martha and I hope you all had you a very Happy Thanksgiving! I’m especially thankful for my family, for the opportunity to serve Central Arkansans, and for the freedom we enjoy here in America.

This week, I met with many in our community across Central Arkansas, having the chance to listen to how to best serve Arkansas veterans, job creators, and families. Here are a few highlights.

Great to have Rep. Phil Roe (TN) (left) in Little Rock this week. We stopped by the Court of Honor for Will Martin (center) to congratulate him, his proud father, Brock Martin (right), and grandfather, Gus Vratsinas (far right), on a job well done in earning his Eagle Scout rank. Given that Rep. Roe and I are both Eagle Scouts, we are pleased to salute a new Eagle. Only about four percent of Scouts earn their Eagle rank.

It was a great honor to be joined by more than 100 Central Arkansas veterans today at my annual Veterans Advisory Council meeting. Glad that my friend and colleague Dr. Phil Roe, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, was able to join us to talk about how best to get our veterans the care and services they deserve. Chairman Roe was an OB-GYN doctor for decades before being elected to Congress and served in the U.S. Army in Korea. 

Getting our veterans the help and benefits you have earned is my priority, and if you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact my team (501) 324-5941.

I appreciate the Arkansas society of CPA's gathering a great group of tax professionals to discuss the proposals in Congress to cut tax rates for Arkansas families and businesses. The discussion was very helpful and I plan on sharing their comments with the Ways and Means Committee staff and members. Thanks to CEO Marsha Moffitt for arranging this opportunity to discuss this critical economic policy proposal. 

I was blessed to be on hand at Bryant Elementary for the Jones Family’s surprise reunion. U.S. Army Sgt Aaron Jones just returned from deployment with the 1st Battalion 153rd Infantry in Djibouti, and he, his wife Jenna, and their two children were together for the first time in nearly a year. God bless our service men and service women and their families; you make Arkansas proud. During this Thanksgiving season, give thanks for the men and women deployed across the globe protecting our freedom. And, pray for those separated from their loved ones during this Thanksgiving holiday. 

Thank you Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce / Associated Industries of Arkansas President, CEO Randy Zook, and his team for bringing together representatives from Central Arkansas’s chambers of commerce for a discussion on tax reform, jobs, and wage growth. Like the work session with Central Arkansas accounting professionals, this meeting and conference call helped me review the jobs proposals before Congress. 

Thank you for staying in touch with me through my weekly updates. I hope you and your family had a blessed Thanksgiving!