Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – August 4, 2019

Tuesday was a special day for veterans across America as President Donald Trump signed into law the LEGION Act. If you read this column regularly, you have heard about this important legislation which would expand American Legion eligibility to men and women who served during conflicts which were not previously classified as wars. This means veterans of conflicts ranging from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan have the opportunity to join the Legion, connect with veterans, and have an organization to advocate on their behalf.

I was honored to join veterans and fellow lawmakers in the Oval Office on Tuesday when this legislation was signed into law. I co-authored this bill with Democratic Congressman Lou Correa in the House, while a bipartisan group pushed this bill through the Senate. It is an example of how we can work together to get things done.

Another example of working across the aisle occurred in the Senate this week, where the Small Business Reorganization Act passed the Senate and is now on its way to President Trump for his signature. I authored this legislation which Democratic Congressmen David Cicilline and Steve Cohen. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Doug Collins also co-sponsored this legislation, which provides a legal avenue for businesses with less than $2.5 million in debt to file for bankruptcy in a timelier and more cost-effective manner. While in bankruptcy reorganization, a small business would be able to negotiate with creditors while keeping the doors open, employees on payroll, and suppliers and vendors paid.

The legislation works much like a provision in Chapter 12 of the bankruptcy code which helps family farms restructure while continuing to operate. I am excited that the House and Senate have both agreed with me that this option should be available to small businesses which have had a rough year but have an otherwise sound business. Another bill passed last week which I co-authored is an extension of the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act, which gives guardsmen and reservists who served active duty since 9/11 a streamlined process for restructuring their debt and rebuild their financial life. I am excited for these bills to land on the president’s desk, where I expect him to sign it into law.

I am excited that we have worked this year to pass laws benefiting veterans and small business owners. At the same time, we have been hard at work on legislation which will help all Americans who are dealing with the deluge of robocalls. You and I all have experienced a robocall. Not only are they annoying, but often the calls are from fraudsters trying to cheat you out of your hard-earned money. Laws on the books right now are not only preventing the calls but as I noted in an email to Attorney General William Barr, enforcement against bad actors have collected less than $7,000 of the more than $200 million in fines issued by the FCC.

That is why I was proud to co-sponsor H.R. 3375, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, which passed the House last week. The bill mandates efforts to stop these calls before bad actors can hit the “Send” button, including free robocall blocking provided by phone service providers and technology to prevent spoofing (using a fake caller ID phone number). The Senate has passed similar legislation, a sign to the American people that we will not stop working on this important issue that impacts each and every one of us.

Thank you for the opportunity to work on veterans issues, small business legislation, and ways to prevent robocalls. If you have an issue that needs to be addressed legislatively, I ask you to call my Washington office at (202) 225-5431.