Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – September 14th

Energy Independence:
Our nation is rich in natural resources, including fossil fuels such as oil, timber, and natural gas that have recently enabled the United States to be energy independent for the first time in over 50 years. This includes the Commonwealth of Virginia, which has an abundant supply of energy sources that could help us fund improvements to our infrastructure, roads, and local schools.

Unfortunately, this week the House voted on legislation that would block the potential for new research and investment in energy production off our Atlantic coastline. The legislation would stifle innovation, prevent job creation, and severely limit the ability of the United States to achieve its full potential of energy independence for the long term.

In my remarks against this legislation on the House Floor, I spoke about my visit earlier this spring to the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, where I was able to see firsthand the great strides that have been made in energy exploration, technology, and innovation. The amazing developments in ensuring that energy resources can be explored and extracted safely, with minimal impact to our environment, demonstrated to me that similar efforts can be achieved back home in the waters off the coast of Virginia. These new developments would ensure that our environmentally sensitive areas can be protected for future generations while we lower energy costs for residents and businesses across the Commonwealth.

Studies have shown that exploring offshore oil and natural gas resources would bring thousands of jobs to Virginia and significantly boost its economy. The legislation passed in the House would block millions of dollars from coming to Virginia, and the federal government should not be in the business of stifling Virginia’s economic growth.

CASE Act:
Back in May, several colleagues and I introduced H.R. 2426, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act, also known as the CASE Act. This week, I was pleased that this bill passed the Judiciary Committee and now awaits further action on the House Floor.

Should this bill become law, it will create a Copyright Claims Board within the Copyright Office to provide for an efficient and less expensive forum for small creators to better enforce their rights.

Federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over copyright. However, because of the high cost of federal litigation, small creators, such as graphic artists, authors, songwriters, photographers, and others across the country, often have difficulty enforcing their rights and protecting their works from infringement. Due to the comparatively low value of their work compared to the high cost of federal litigation, most attorneys do not even consider taking these small cases. This leaves small creators with little remedy to protect their works and their livelihoods. The CASE Act, largely based on a Copyright Office study from 2013, provides these creators with an alternative option to protect their rights.

Protecting the Second Amendment:
Also this week, the Judiciary Committee took up the issue of gun control. Unfortunately, the majority voted in favor of three pieces of legislation that would not have prevented past acts of mass violence. In addition, they refused to consider any Republican bills that would actually work toward preventing future tragedies. Further, the Committee rejected all commonsense amendments, ensuring the bills will likely fail in the Senate.

Instead of searching for common ground, the committee passed legislation that limits our Constitutional rights and infringes on the Second Amendment. The bills that passed will lead to the deprivation of due process rights for citizens across this country. These pieces of legislation are broad and open to inconsistent interpretation and do nothing to address mental health, which is often a contributing cause of mass violence. I opposed these bills and will continue to defend the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

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Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Congressman. If my office can ever be of assistance, please contact my Washington office at (202) 225-5431.