Benjamin Lee Cline was born on February 29,1972 and is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the US representative for Virginia's 6th congressional district since 2019.
30 Facts About Ben Cline
2.
Ben Cline is the son of Philip L Cline and Julie Cline.
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Ben Cline earned a JD degree from University of Richmond School of Law in 2007.
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From 2002 to 2007, including his years in law school, Ben Cline was president of NDS Corporation, a Virginia-based company providing sales and marketing assistance to rural Internet and technology businesses.
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Ben Cline served as chief of staff for US Representative Bob Goodlatte before running for office.
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In November 2017, Cline announced he would run for Congress in Virginia's 6th congressional district in 2018 for the seat being vacated by retiring incumbent Bob Goodlatte.
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On May 19,2018, Ben Cline won the Republican nomination on the first ballot at the district convention.
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Ben Cline served on the House of Delegates Committees on Commerce and Labor, Courts of Justice, Finance, and chaired the Militia, Police and Public Safety.
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In 2006, Ben Cline patroned HB1125, which created a school sales tax holiday in the Commonwealth, and HB1135, which allowed members of the military stationed in the Commonwealth to receive in-state tuition in Virginia.
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In 2008, Cline supported the opening of an Amherst branch of Central Virginia Community College and new facilities for the Rockbridge branch of Dabney S Lancaster Community College.
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In 2009, Ben Cline patroned, but did not have included in the final state budget, amendments to cut the budget of the Virginia Lottery in half, which would in turn put those funds into the Literary Fund used to fund Virginia public schools.
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In 2006, Ben Cline passed two bills, HB1130 and HB1131, that changed the administrative setup of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
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Additionally, Ben Cline went after the Virginia Lottery in 2009 for the allotment of over $1 million of state funds to use the likeness of Howie Mandel and Donald Trump on lottery tickets.
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In 2003, Ben Cline introduced HB2229, which deals with probation for underage alcohol possession.
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Ben Cline introduced HB2227, which made it a felony to assault retired law enforcement officers, and HB865, which imposed the same penalty regarding assault of campus police officers.
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Ben Cline was named Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Court Clerks' Association in 2011 and by the Virginia Sheriff's Association in 2012.
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Ben Cline introduced several bills regarding the rights of defendants and inmates.
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In 2012, Ben Cline helped negotiate a compromise between law enforcement and prisoner advocates regarding HB836, which restricted the usage of restraints on pregnant inmates, by supporting the intent of the legislation in the form of a rule change by the Virginia Board of Corrections, winning praise locally for his involvement on the issue.
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In 2013, Ben Cline helped craft and supported HB2103, which improves parole process for inmates still eligible for parole in Virginia.
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In 2013, Ben Cline patroned HB2229 to address ongoing concerns over the Federal National Defense Authorization Act of 2012.
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Ben Cline introduced a similar bill in 2014 and 2015.
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In 2005, Ben Cline patroned HB2554, a bill that created the I-81 Safety Task Force, and HJ709, a resolution that encouraged Congress to develop a multistate I-81 initiative.
23.
Ben Cline announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives, in a bid to replace outgoing Representative Bob Goodlatte, for whom Ben Cline had previously served as chief of staff.
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Ben Cline entered a field of eight candidates, his top rival being Cynthia Dunbar, the incumbent RNC Committeewoman from Virginia.
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In December 2020, Cline was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump.
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In September 2021, Ben Cline was among 75 House Republicans to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which contains a provision that would require women to be drafted.
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Ben Cline was among 19 House Republicans to vote against the final passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
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Ben Cline voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.
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Ben Cline married Elizabeth Rocovich Ben Cline in 2007 and they are raising their twin daughters in Botetourt County.
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Ben Cline is Catholic and attends St Patrick's Church in Lexington, Virginia.