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American politician (born 1947)

John Paul Kline Jr. (born September 6, 1947) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from from 2003 to 2017. The district included most of the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. A member of the Republican Party, Kline served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce from 2011 until 2017. Kline retired from Congress at the end of his term in January of 2017.

Kline was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the son of Litta Belle (née Rodman) and John Paul Kline, Sr. He is a 1965 graduate of W. B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. He earned a B. A. in biology at Rice University in 1969 and a Master of Public Administration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in 1988.

Before his election to Congress, Kline was a 25 year career commissioned officer in the U. S. Marine Corps, where he was a senior military aide to Presidents Carter and Reagan and was responsible for carrying the President's football. During his military career, Kline was a Naval Aviator who served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, commanded all Marine aviation forces in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, flew "Marine One," the Presidential helicopter, in HMX 1, and served as Program Development Officer at Headquarters Marine Corps. He received numerous medals and commendations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, four awards of the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, three awards of the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Presidential Service Badge. Kline retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel.

Kline and his second wife, Vicky, live in Burnsville, Minnesota. Kline has two children and four grandchildren. Kline was previously married to Christine Lewis.

Kline supported President Bush's plan to increase troop levels in Iraq in January 2007. During Kline's 2008 bid for reelection he discussed his opposition to earmarks and his refusal to request them for his district. In 2006, Kline voted to maintain the legal definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. He voted for the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. Kline opposed restrictions on gun ownership. He voted to repeal parts of the firearms ban for Washington, D. C. He described himself as "a collector of antique guns and a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment". Kline stated, "Job creation is our nation's no. 1 challenge and Congress must make it our no. 1 priority." He spoke in support of education reform designed to encourage parent involvement and teacher accountability. He opposed any tax increases and stated that such strategies must be taken "off the table." In remarks made to fellow representatives, Kline said, "we are watching a massive growth of government power, size, and spending, and I deem that unacceptable." In 2013 Kline proposed a bill that, among other adjustments, changed the rate on subsidized Stafford loans from 3.4% to 5.9%. The bill linked the rate of interest to the rate of US borrowing. Kline voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. His campaign site stated that "he opposed Obamacare because it is a seriously flawed law that was too big, was passed too fast, and does too much harm."

On April 1, 2014, Kline introduced the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act (H. R. 10; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend and reauthorize both the Charter School Programs and the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Initiatives under Title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 through fiscal year 2020 and combine them into a single authorization. It was intended to streamline and improve the grants process and increase the funding for these programs from $250 million to $300 million. The bill passed in the House on May 7, 2014. Kline gained considerable momentum from this, and ultimately won handily, taking 53% of the vote to Luther's 42%. Kline then defeated Democratic Burnsville City Councilwoman Teresa Daly to win a second term in 2004 and former FBI Special agent and whistleblower Coleen Rowley, one of Time magazine's "Persons of the Year", with 56% of the vote in 2006. In 2008 Kline defeated former Watertown mayor Steve Sarvi and increased his margin of victory to over 57% of the vote. Kline accepted $11,000 in political contributions from former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham's PAC. After Cunningham's indictment on fraud charges, Kline donated the money to charity. Kline's reelection in 2012 made him the 40th U. S. Representative from Minnesota to win six House terms. On September 3, 2015, Kline announced that he would not seek reelection in 2016.

In the 2014 election cycle, Kline's largest campaign contributor was the Apollo Group, a corporation that owns several for profit educational institutions. The corporation gave $33,100 to Kline's campaign.

In 2014, he was the "winner" of comedian Bill Maher's "Flip a District" from a group of 16 semifinalists nominated by viewers nationwide. The Star Tribune reported Kline planned to raise $100,000 to counteract the notoriety brought by Maher's campaign. Kline's spokesman said, "Minnesotans are tired of sleazy and slimy politics" but Kline's opponent "certainly isn't." Kline's opponent, Mike Obermueller, reported a 700% increase in fundraising.