Rick Crawford RSS Articles

Crawford: Rural Post Offices to remain Open

Wed, 09 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Rick Crawford speaking to a crowd in Grubbs, AR about his efforts to keep rural post offices open.

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rick Crawford announced a new strategy from the U.S. Postal Service that will keep post offices in rural America open while providing significant cost saving measures for the financially strapped service. Previously, the Postal Service had announced plans to close thousands of post offices across the country, 100 of those in Crawford’s First Congressional District. Crawford has been a constant advocate for rural postal customers and has filed legislation to keep rural offices open.

The plan will keep existing offices open, but will modify retail window operating hours. Access to the retail lobby and P.O. Boxes would remain unchanged and Zip Codes and town identities would be preserved. While the new plan is not perfect, it will retain postal services for rural communities.

“After months of pressure, the Postal Service today announced plans to keep rural post offices open. So many of the challenges we face in Washington are not Democrat vs. Republican, but urban vs. rural areas,” said Crawford. “People in our district rely on their post office for medicine deliveries, social security and veterans’ benefits. Today’s announcement by the Postal Service means that rural Americans will keep their community identity and access to postal services. This plan is not perfect, retail hours will be limited. However, Congress now has time to reform the Postal Service while maintaining service to rural communities. This is a win for Arkansas and a win for all of rural America.”

Click Here to see the release from the Postal Service about the new strategy to keep office open.

In November 2011, Crawford introduced H.R. 3370, Protecting Our Rural Post Offices Act of 2011 that prohibits the Postal Service from closing rural post offices that do not have an alternative post office within eight miles accessible by public roads. The Postal Service recently announced plans to close 3,652 post offices across the country, many of them in rural areas. In total, the Postal Service planned to close 211 offices in Arkansas, 100 of those closures were in Crawford’s First Congressional District

H.R. 3370: Protecting Our Rural Post Offices Act of 2011 Facts

In July 2011, the USPS announced it was considering the closure of 3,652 retail postal facilities1.

At the end of FY2010, there were 35,633 retail postal facilities in the United States1.

While the USPS is a self-serving entity, the U.S Congress requires the USPS to serve the public as a whole:

"The Postal Service shall provide a maximum degree of effective and regular postal services to rural areas, communities, and small towns where post offices are not self-sustaining. No small post office shall be closed solely for operating at a deficit, it being the specific intent of the Congress that effective postal services be insured to residents of both urban and rural communities" (39 U.S.C. 101(b))1.

Despite laws put in place to protect rural post offices, rural communities have been overwhelmingly targeted for closings.

In Arkansas 211 post offices have been targeted for closure2.
- 100 of which fall in the 1st District2.
  - If you were to spread post office closures evenly amongst every Congressional District, you would need to close roughly 8 per district to reach the USPS’ goal of 3,652 offices.
There is nothing fair about the USPS’s current method for closing post offices and rural Americans are being burdened with the majority of these closures.

H.R. 3370 would prevent the USPS from closing any post office that does not have an alternate post office within 8 miles as measured by year-round roads.

Rural roads are rarely straight from town to town and while a post office may be within a 10 mile distance as the crow flies, by no means does that mean that the post office is within 10 miles driving. This legislation would only use the actual driving distance between post offices to determine whether a post office is eligible for closing.

The USPS ran an estimated deficit of nearly $10 billion in FY2010 and there is a clear need for serious reform to cut costs to avoid a taxpayer bailout3.

This legislation does not hinder the USPS’s ability to address its unsustainable labor costs and can be seen as a companion to postal reform legislation that ensure that reform does not come solely on the backs of rural Americans.
The real source of the USPS’ long term debt is soaring labor costs that make up 80% of their total costs3. This must be addressed.
- If the USPS were to close all of the proposed 3,653 post offices it would only result in a savings of $200 million per year1. This will do little to rectify the USPS’s astronomical deficit which was approximately $10.8 billion in FY2011.
As revenue continues to decline, there is a clear need to downsize the USPS. H.R. 3370 will ensure that the USPS takes a balanced and fair approach to cutting costs.

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1. Kosar, Kevin R., Analyst in American National Government for the Congressional Research Service. “The U.S. Postal Service: Common Questions About Post Office Closures.” August 4,2011. http://www.crs.gov/pages/Reports.aspx?PRODCODE=R41950&Source=search

2. Prov: Cathy Pagano, United States Postal Service, Arkansas Study List

3. Kosar, Kevin R., Analyst in American National Government for the Congressional Research Service. “The U.S. Postal Service’s Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress.” August 4,2011. http://www.crs.gov/pages/Reports.aspx?PRODCODE=R41024&Source=search

Crawford Mobile Office to visit Pocahontas

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

To meet the needs of his constituents, Congressman Rick Crawford will have a representative at Pocahontas City Hall on Wednesday, May 16, 2012.

Crawford Mobile Office visit to Pocahontas
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
9:00AM-11:00AM
Pocahontas City Hall
410 North Marr Street
Pocahontas, AR

“My staff will be in Pocahontas on May 16th to help anyone who might need help with a federal agency or program like Medicare, VA benefits or Social Security,” said Crawford. “My office is here to service the constituents in Arkansas’s First District. We look forward to being in Pocahontas and hope that anyone who needs help with a federal agency or just wants to discuss an issue will stop by.”

Staff from Congressman Crawford’s office will be available to meet with constituents and offer assistance with any problems regarding federal issues or agencies, such as Medicare, Veterans Affairs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or Internal Revenue Service. Constituents also are invited to stop by and share their comments about issues in Congress.

No advance appointments are necessary.

Crawford Mobile Office to visit Walnut Ridge

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

To meet the needs of his constituents, Congressman Rick Crawford will have a representative at the Lawrence County Courthouse on Wednesday, May 16, 2012.

Crawford Mobile Office visit to Walnut Ridge
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
1:00PM-3:00PM
Lawrence County Courthouse
315 West Main Street
Walnut Ridge, AR

“My staff will be in Walnut Ridge on May 16th to help anyone who might need help with a federal agency or program like Medicare, VA benefits or Social Security,” said Crawford. “My office is here to service the constituents in Arkansas’s First District. We look forward to being in Walnut Ridge and hope that anyone who needs help with a federal agency or just wants to discuss an issue will stop by.”

Staff from Congressman Crawford’s office will be available to meet with constituents and offer assistance with any problems regarding federal issues or agencies, such as Medicare, Veterans Affairs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or Internal Revenue Service. Constituents also are invited to stop by and share their comments about issues in Congress.

No advance appointments are necessary.

Crawford encourages Farm Bill Comments

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congressman Rick Crawford is reminding his constituents they can have a voice in crafting new farm policy. Crawford, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, is encouraging Arkansas farmers to submit comments and suggestions for federal agriculture policy online at http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill by May 20th.

“Agriculture is the number one industry in Arkansas. As my colleagues and I on the House Agriculture Committee begin to write a new Farm Bill, we want to hear producers’ thoughts on current farm policy and ideas for new policy,” said Crawford. “The Farm Bill Field Hearing I hosted at Arkansas State University was a tremendous opportunity for Arkansas farmers to have a voice in the new Farm Bill, but we cannot stop there. By going to http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill, farmers can submit their ideas for improving farm policy as new legislation is being crafted.”

On March 30, 2012 Crawford hosted a Field Hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill at Arkansas State University. The Arkansas Field Hearing was one of only four in the entire country and focused on Southern Agriculture. Since the hearing, Crawford has encouraged his constituents to submit comments for the new Farm Bill at http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill by May 20th.

Congressman Rick Crawford serves on the Agriculture Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the United States House of Representatives. He is the first graduate of Arkansas State University to serve in Congress. Crawford and his wife Stacy live in Jonesboro with their two young children.

Crawford: EPA Region VI Administrator Resigns

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON – Congressman Rick Crawford announced today that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz is resigning. Armendariz is stepping down after a 2010 video revealed his comments endorsing a “general philosophy” by EPA to “crucify” and “make examples” of oil and gas companies.

“Oil and gas companies need reasonable regulations and oversights to ensure responsible drilling practices are followed. We do not need activists at the EPA who have a clear bias against domestic energy producers,” Crawford said. “Mr. Armendariz was right to resign his position. In a time when gas prices are close to $4 a gallon we need professionals at the EPA who encourage, not stifle, responsible domestic energy production.”

Before resigning, Armendariz was head of EPA Region 6 that encompassed Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and 66 tribal nations. Mr. Armendariz caused a controversy after saying in 2010:

"The Romans used to conquer little villages in the Mediterranean. They'd go into a little Turkish town somewhere, they'd find the first five guys they saw and they would crucify them. And then you know that town was really easy to manage for the next few years."

Crawford names Osborn winner of Congressional Art Contest

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Rick Crawford names Jonesboro High School Senior Langley Osborn
winner of the 2012 Congressional Art Contest Winner.

JONESBORO, AR – Today, Congressman Rick Crawford announced Jonesboro High School Senior Langley Osborn won the 2012 Congressional Art Contest for Arkansas’s First Congressional District. Osborn’s art, Oversea Sweethearts, will hang in the U.S. Capital Building in Washington, DC for the next year.

“Langley is a tremendous talent and we are honored to have her art represent Arkansas’s First District in the U.S. Capital for the next year,” Crawford said.

Along with having her artwork displayed in the Capital, Langley will receive two roundtrip airline tickets from Southwest Airlines for her and a guest to fly to Washington, DC to see her work on display. Langley is the daughter of Mark and Brenda Osborn of Jonesboro.

Crawford: Labor Department drops Child Labor rule for Family Farms

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congressman Rick Crawford announced the Department of Labor is dropping a proposed rule that would have imposed child labor laws on farm families. The Labor Department made the announcement late yesterday after hearing from farm families across the country.

“Families in Arkansas should make decisions about raising their children and providing for their families, not bureaucrats from the Labor Department in Washington. This is a huge victory for farm families in Arkansas and across the country,” said Crawford. “After months of calls, emails and letters, the Department of Labor listened to farm families. Make no mistake about it, without the efforts of farm families across the country, the Department of Labor would not have dropped this rule. I applaud everyone who contacted the Department to make this victory a reality.”

Instead of regulating farm families, the Departments of Labor announced it will work with groups like American Farm Bureau Federation, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers.

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Crawford named to Highway Bill Conference Committee

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON – Today, Speaker of the House John Boehner appointed Congressman Rick Crawford to serve on a Conference Committee made up of House and Senate members who will be tasked with resolving the differences between the House and Senate Highway Bill extensions.

“Our nation’s crumbling infrastructure cannot be ignored. The House and the Senate must come together to produce a long-term transportation bill to fund vital construction projects. On the Conference Committee I will be a voice for rural interests and will work to ensure that Arkansas and rural America are not forgotten as differences between the House and the Senate are resolved. I am honored Speaker Boehner entrusted me to serve on the committee and I look forward to producing a responsible transportation bill,” said Crawford.

“Congressman Crawford will bring a unique perspective to the Conference Committee. He has shown an ability to work across party lines and he understands rural highway funding needs. Members of the committee will look to Congressman Crawford for input when decisions affecting rural America are made,” said Speaker Boehner.

"As a key member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Crawford has worked diligently in our efforts to help improve the nation’s infrastructure and reform transportation programs. I am pleased he has been selected as one of the handful of members responsible for completing a transportation bill that will streamline the bureaucratic project approval process and ensure that state and local projects can move forward expeditiously.” John L. Mica, Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Crawford receives U.S. Chamber Spirit of Enterprise Award

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

U.S. Chamber CEO Thomas J. Donohue presents Congressman Rick Crawford with the Spirit of Enterprise Award.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Rick Crawford recently received the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes Crawford’s support for pro-jobs, pro-growth policies during the first session of the 112th Congress.

“Small businesses are the backbone of Arkansas’s economy. In Congress I am working to get government out of the way so that small business entrepreneurs can create jobs and economic growth,” said Crawford. “The U.S. Chamber is a tremendous advocate for job creators and I honored to have received their Spirit of Enterprise Award.”

The U.S. Chamber awards the Spirit of Enterprise on an annual basis to members of Congress based on key business issues. Key issues for the U.S. Chamber included a surface transportation extension, free trade agreement votes, and repeal of President Obama’s healthcare law.

Crawford votes to Protect Gun Owners’ Rights

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON – Congressman Rick Crawford voted for H.R. 4089, the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012 to protect the rights of American sportsmen to hunt and fish. The legislation will remove roadblocks for hunters and fishermen on public lands and will guard against new regulations that could block or limit access to hunting and fishing. H.R. 4089 passed with a bipartisan vote of 274 to 146 in the House of Representatives.

“In Arkansas, hunting and fishing are a way of life. For generations families have hunted and fished together. The federal government should not be a roadblock to tradition,” said Crawford. "Also, we must recognize the contributions that sportsmen make to protect our nation's resources. Hunting and fishing are a central part of our rural heritage and my experience has always been that people who live off the land are the best stewards of our natural resources."

Specifically, H.R. 4089 includes language that:
• Requires hunting and recreational shooting and fishing to be recognized activities on all Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands
• Protects recreational shooting on National Monuments under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management
• Clarifies that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the jurisdiction to regulate lead components found in either traditional ammunition or fishing tackle

Click here to view the full text of H.R. 4089, the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012.