Each week, LINK nky is publishing a profile of one of our local legislators so that Northern Kentuckians can get to know the people representing them at the state level.
Education has defined Rep. Mike Clines’ career. Decades of experience as a private school administrator and teacher in the Covington Catholic school system have allowed him to observe and shape how students and classrooms operate.
Now, as Kentucky State Representative of the 68th House District, Clines has a direct say in legislation that impacts public education and other issues affecting NKY and the Commonwealth. And he’s using that voice in Frankfort.
During his first legislative session in 2023, Clines voted to change how students are taught and how they access certain services. Among the bills he supported was Senate Bill 150 which impacts sex education in schools, minors’ access to gender-affirming medical care and more. Clines also voted to pass HB 538, which gives public schools leeway in providing alternative placement of disruptive students.
Both SB 150 and HB 538 became law.
Neither bill directly affects private schools, but they do impact children. That matters to Clines, who worked 27 years in the Diocese of Covington’s Catholic school system as both an administrator and a teacher. Additionally, he and his wife Tammy (a public school librarian) have three sons.
Anything that has to do with making “a positive difference in the lives of students and learning communities” is important to the professional educator, according to Clines’ campaign website.
“There are proven strategies that we can rely on to improve our community and our quality of life and make our government work better for our hard-working families,” Clines states on the website. “ I look forward to joining the District 68 school leaders and their school communities. As we prepare for the future of education, we want to make sure students are mentally and emotionally healthy and career and college-ready.”Â
Of course, there are issues beyond the classroom that affect the 68th District. Better internet service, better traffic conditions, and improvements to water and sewer infrastructure are all squarely on the legislator’s radar, according to Clines’ website.
In an email to LINK nky early this year, Clines — now in his second year as a state representative — said he considers his top legislative accomplishments in his first year as a legislator to be “lowering the income tax, sports betting and getting my HB 172 (to address workforce development) passed into law. I also took pride in representing District 68 with professionalism by exercising patience, listening, building relationships, and utilizing my personal and professional experience.”Â
More broadly, the first-term legislator is described on his site as a conservative who believes in “fidelity to the Constitution … Pro-life beliefs, limited government, limited taxes, and conserving our environment.” His reputation as a pro-business legislator started to grow early in the 2023 legislative session.
Last year, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce recognized Clines as one of several lawmakers with a 100-percent pro-business voting record during the 2023 General Assembly. A strong economy and promoting “job-creating policies and tax relief” remain priorities for Clines this year, per his website.
“Simply put,” he says, “I will always advocate for our quality of life in Campbell County.”
Rep. Mike Clines (R-Alexandria) vrepresents part of Campbell County in the 68th House District. Clines is a member of the House Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee, Families and Children Committee, and Agriculture Committee. Additionally, Clines is a member of the interim joint Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee, Families and Children Committee, and Agriculture Committee. Clines is also a member of several legislative caucuses.