Washington news in brief

Womack spends time in Colorado

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., is spending much of the weekend just north of Colorado Springs, Colo.

The 3rd District congressman from Rogers will be consulting with military officials, meeting with U.S. Air Force Academy cadets from Northwest Arkansas and cheering for the visiting team in the Army-Air Force football game.

Womack, the former executive director of the University of Arkansas' Army ROTC program, is chairman of the U.S. Military Academy's board of visitors, a position he's held since 2017.

His brother, Jim, is a 1977 West Point graduate.

Before his election to Congress, Womack spent 30 years in the Arkansas Army National Guard, retiring as a colonel in 2009.

Womack is a member of the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee.

Meeting with the leadership of the Air Force Academy, he said, is "fundamental to my duty as a defense appropriator."

In an interview shortly after Thursday's impeachment inquiry vote, Womack said he was looking forward to the trip.

It'll be nice, he said, to "get out of this town and do something more constructive."

Boozman speaks of opioid efforts

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., spoke about efforts to curb opioid abuse during a speech Wednesday on the Senate floor.

A new law, passed just over a year ago, is helping to turn the tide in the nation's opioid epidemic, the lawmaker from Rogers said.

"There's been a noticeable difference," he said.

"As a result of this comprehensive reform, law enforcement is now better equipped to stop illegal opioids from reaching our communities and efforts have been stepped up at the border to cut off the influx of fentanyl from China. More first responders have been trained to administer [Naloxone], which has prevented opioid overdoses from claiming more lives in our communities. Most importantly, we've saved lives by increasing access to mental health and addiction treatment services for those struggling to overcome opioid dependence."

Boozman also highlighted Arkansas Prescription Drug Take Back Day, a semiannual effort to collect and dispose of drugs that are no longer needed.

Disposing of unneeded prescriptions can be a lifesaver, he said.

"Research has found that the majority of opioid abusers get their drugs from friends and family, often lifting pills from a familiar medicine cabinet," he said.

The number of deaths involving opioids was 47,600 in 2017, up from 8,048 in 1999, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Boozman wasn't the only one addressing the topic. Senators from West Virginia, Iowa, Ohio, North Dakota, Missouri, Montana and Kansas also highlighted the problem.

Arkansan joins lawmaker's staff

A former spokesman for the Democratic Party of Arkansas is now serving as communications director for U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif.

Graham Senor, a Fayetteville native, joined Ruiz's staff in August.

Asked about life in the capital, Senor wrote, "I'm finding my way around just fine in D.C."

"It's the closest thing to home I've found, but that doesn't mean it comes close," he added. "Honestly, I miss the people and the place that raised me every day, and I'm looking forward to returning someday soon. In the meantime, I am incredibly privileged to be working for Rep. Ruiz, serving in our nation's capital, and experiencing this moment in history."

Senor gained a lot of experience in Arkansas politics, working as a communications assistant on then-U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor's 2014 campaign. After graduating from Hendrix College in 2015, he worked as press secretary for Democrat Conner Eldridge's 2016 U.S. Senate campaign and as communications director for Democrat Clarke Tucker's 2018 U.S. House campaign. In between, he was communications director for the state party. He also worked as a communications adviser for state Sen. Will Bond of Little Rock.

Ruiz, first elected to Congress in 2012, is the son of farm workers. Born in Mexico, he grew up in Coachella, Calif., a desert town roughly 140 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

After graduating magna cum laude at UCLA, he went to medical school and became a doctor. He holds three graduate degrees from Harvard University.

Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or [email protected]. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.

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