Full Biography for Robert N. "Bob" Clement

Candidate for
U.S. Representative; District 5

Bob Clement prides himself on being a hard-working representative for the 5th Congressional District of Tennessee. A fiscal conservative who believes deeply in family values, he was born and raised in Nashville and has balanced his life between public service and experience in the private sector. Congressman Clement's impressive record of legislative accomplishments ranges from initiating funding for the first ever regional mass transit hub in Tennessee, to national achievements in energy and transportation. With a high priority on constituent service, Bob Clement has helped thousands of Tennesseans during his career. He is married to the former Mary Carson of South Nashville, and they have four children.

One of Congressman Clement's chief legislative goals during the 104th Congress was to pass a bill to establish a $20 million grant to fund renovations to Nashville's Fisk University, one of the nation's oldest black universities. In the 105th Congress, he worked to secure a 62% increase in transportation funding for the state of Tennessee, taking annual dollars from $366 million to $593 million per year over the next six years. As a ranking Democratic member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he also secured $46 million dollars for special projects in the Fifth Congressional District which included $14 million for Greenways projects in Nashville, Springfield, and White House, Tennessee.

Major legislation and accomplishments in the 105th Congress include: Working with the Administration and the Office of Management and Budget on a deal that will allow TVA to refinance their Federal Finance Bank (FFB) debt; Sponsoring, The Identity Theft Deterrence Act, and The Freedom from Religious Persecution Amendment; Balancing the Budget, and obtaining funding for the planning stages of commuter rail, and the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).

Congressman Clement is also a member of the International Relations Committee in Congress where he serves on the Economic Policy and Trade Subcommittee. He supported legislation to balance the budget by the year 2002, and saw that action become a reality in the 105th Congress. He also supported the presidential line-item veto. Congressman Clement serves as the Ranking Minority Member on the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. Congressman Bob Clement is truly a "Tennessee Leader."