Economy

In 2011, the House of Representatives launched the Plan for America's Job Creators, a pro-growth agenda aimed at removing government barriers to private-sector job creation. Since then the House has passed dozens of jobs bills, including several that the president has signed into law.

When I talk to families at home in Arkansas, they are always concerned about jobs. The House has voted numerous times in the past two years to create an environment that encourages job creation and ends economic uncertainty. Some key pieces of legislation include:

This week I hosted a Nutrition Summit in Jonesboro to shed light on an extremely important issue that has impacted students in Arkansas and across the Nation. In recent weeks I have spoken to numerous teachers, coaches and parents about new rules from the Department of Agriculture concerning nutrition standards for school lunches. The new standards cut drastically the number of calories students can consume on a daily basis.

Rice production took root in Arkansas nearly 100 years ago. Today, Arkansas ranks at the top of the six major rice producing states and accounts for nearly half of all rice production in the country. Rice produced in Arkansas is known for its versatility and is used in a great variety of dishes in the United States and throughout the world. As family rice farmers across our state are harvesting their crop, our country is celebrating the month of September as National Rice Month.

Since my election to Congress I have talked about the importance of passing a Farm Bill that would give farm families in Arkansas and across the country the security they need to continue producing the safest, most affordable and abundant supply of food on the planet. Unfortunately, election year politics have gotten in the way of enacting sound policies on which rural America depends. Some in Congress think that putting their electoral ambitions ahead of the needs of our farmers and ranchers will score political points.

As a former small business owner I know small businesses are the engine for job creation and entrepreneurial expansion. Through my own experience and by talking to small business owners across our district I also know nothing kills jobs faster than a Washington regulation. Too often federal agencies impose rules without talking to the people who will be forced to live with them. As your representative in Congress I am working to give small business owners and job creators some relief from onerous regulations.