An impasse remains between President Trump and congressional Democrats that could lead to a partial government shutdown next Friday. Arkansas’s 2nd district U.S. Rep. Republican French Hill, a Republican of Little Rock, says he’s disappointed that no resolution seems to be in sight and is considering the impact a shutdown would have in Arkansas.

You can hear his interview with KUAR above.

While severe winter weather is not entirely common in Arkansas compared to other states, the Arkansas Department of Transportation says it is well prepared for any winter weather that may come this season, even if no snow is in the immediate forecast. 

When serious winter weather does impact Arkansas roads, there is no section of the department’s budget set aside for just winter weather. Instead, it comes out of the yearly maintenance budget.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services says it's expanding an existing "helpline" to allow certain recipients of the state's Medicaid expansion program to report their 80 hours of work or work-related activity per month. 

DHS announced the change Wednesday after more than 12,000 enrollees in the program, known as Arkansas Works, lost their health insurance coverage for failing to comply with the work requirement for three consecutive months. 

Beginning Dec. 19, beneficiaries can report work hours and seek help with reporting by calling (855) 372-1084.

The Arkansas Times LP has filed a lawsuit against the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees over a recent state law, saying it violates the First and Fourteenth amendments of the Constitution.

The law requires companies to sign a pledge to not boycott Israel in order to do business with the state. Contracts with a value less than $1,000 do not apply. If a company fails to pledge to not boycott Israel, it can still conduct business with the state, but at a rate that’s 20 percent less than the lowest certifying business.

UPDATE: By an 87-13 vote, the U.S. Senate approved the new farm bill on Tuesday, with Arkansas's two Republican senators split on the measure. Sen. John Boozman supported the bill, while Sen. Tom Cotton was among 12 members of his party voting against it.

The bill now advances to the House. The legislation allocates billions of dollars in sibsidies to farmers and guides national policies for the next five years.

Arkansas legislators will be meeting next week as part of an ongoing inquiry into a partnership between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway. Arkansas Business delves into the conflict in this week’s issue: