Cline responds on “under the radar” votes

Because he usually ignores my messages to him, I was rather surprised to receive a letter from Congressman Cline responding to an email I wrote to him about his three recent “under the radar” votes against common-sense bills approved by the House majority.

Perhaps enough other constituents contacted him about these votes that he felt compelled to produce a form-letter response. (If anyone else received the same letter, please let me know.)

Thank you for contacting my office regarding several bills that recently passed the House of Representatives. I appreciate hearing from you on these important topics.

As you may know, H.R. 4344 would increase the time during which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could recover illegal profits from defendants from five years to 14 years after an alleged securities violation. This bill would drastically expand the power of the SEC and would retroactively change limitations in the law. This bill passed the House on November 19, 2019 and has been received in the Senate for further consideration.

What’s wrong with extending the power of the SEC to go after people who commit fraud against ordinary investors? Some of those investors might be your constituents.

H.R. 737 would place a federal ban on the buying and selling of shark fins in the United States. The shark fishing industry is already heavily regulated, and the practice of shark finning is already explicitly outlawed in U.S. territorial waters. On November 21, 2019, H.R. 737 passed the House, and it now awaits further consideration in the Senate.

So sharks outside US territorial waters don’t deserve to be protected from mutilation and needless death?

H.R. 1309 would require healthcare and social service employers to implement a workplace violence prevention plan. The bill mandates one-size-fits-all regulation based on a California policy that does not account for the individuality of states, communities, and individual workplaces. This bill passed the House on November 21, 2019 and has been received in the Senate.

Protecting healthcare and social service workers from workplace violence is vital regardless of “the individuality of states, communities, and individual workplaces.” Violence is violence anywhere, and it needs to be taken equally seriously everywhere.

It is an honor to represent you and all of Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance. To receive the latest updates from my office, I encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter at cline.house.gov or like my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Sincerely,

Ben Cline
Member of Congress

Congressman, it may or may not be an honor to represent me, but having followed your activities closely since you were sworn in as my representative in January, I can’t say it’s an honor to be represented by you.