Photo by Aila Boyd
By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Rep. Ben Cline (R-6th) held his second town hall in Botetourt County on Monday at VFW Post 1841 in Daleville.
The freshman lawmaker discussed his first year in Washington, D.C., which he said was quite eventful given that it started with a government shutdown and ended with the House of Representatives impeaching President Donald J. Trump, before fielding questions from local constituents, many of which had to do with the Second Amendment.
Four bills that he helped introduce were signed into law during 2019, including the Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service (LEGION) Act, the Small Business Reorganization Act, the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act, and a bill that designated the George C. Marshall Museum and Research Library in Lexington as the National George C. Marshall Museum and Library.
The LEGION Act made it so that those who served in times of unrecognized conflicts are now eligible to join the American Legion. “Passing this bipartisan bill was the right thing to do to show our gratitude for those military members who honorably served and for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice during unrecognized periods of conflict,” Cline said.
The Small Business Reorganization Act simplified the process for small businesses to use bankruptcy as a means of reorganization. Under the bill, businesses with less than $2.5 million of debt are now able to file for bankruptcy in a timelier and more cost-effective manner. While in bankruptcy reorganization, small businesses are now able to negotiate with creditors while keeping the doors open, employees on the payroll, and suppliers and vendors paid. “It seemed like commonsense,” Cline said of the bill. He added that he was able to work across the aisle with his Democratic colleague David Cicilline from Rhode Island on the bill.
The National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act ensures that certain members of the National Guard and Reserves who fall on hard economic times after returning from active duty deployment will continue to obtain bankruptcy relief without having to fill out the substantial paperwork required by the so-called “means test” under Chapter 7 of the federal Bankruptcy Code. “Serving a recall to active duty is hard enough on Guardsmen, Reservists, and their families, and it should not be made more difficult by financial uncertainty,” Cline said.
Aside from introducing and voting on legislation, Cline said that constituent case work is perhaps the most important thing that his office does. Over the past year, his office held a total of 132 mobile office hours throughout Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District, answered 68,235 letters, calls, and emails, and finalized a total of 945 constituent cases. By going to his office for help, he explained, constituents are able to cut through the red tap of the federal government. Out of the 945 constituent cases that his office dealt with, 79 were from Botetourt County residents.
Photo by Aila Boyd
Photo by Aila Boyd
