Nathan Ballentine

Nathan Ballentine
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 71st district
In office 2005 -
Personal details
Born	December 10, 1970 (1970-12-10) (age 40) Columbia, South Carolina
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Karen
Profession	V.P., Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Corp.
Religion	Baptist

Nathan Ballentine is a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the House District 71 since 2005.

Nathan was born in Richland County and, for almost two decades, has chosen to work, live, and raise his family in the community named after his ancestors. As Nathan and his wife Karen raise their children, they are committed to protecting the values that have given their community the quality-of-life that is among the best anywhere.

Before his election to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2004, Nathan had been involved with and supported numerous community groups such as the Lake Murray/Irmo Rotary, various home owners associations, the District Five Government Relations Committee, the Community Leadership Council and the Northwest YMCA Advisory Council. He was a member of Leadership Columbia and the University of South Carolina Young Alumni Council and the University's Richland/Lexington Alumni Council. He continues his membership in several organizations today and often lends a hand to the civic organizations in our area.

On June 8, 2004, Nathan ousted the 16-year incumbent who served as the House Majority Leader. After that monumental upset in the Republican primary, the political outsider easily defeated the Green Party candidate in November 2004 to begin his public service career. Many credit Nathan's victory to his non-stop campaigning that focused on meeting with the voters directly at their front doorstep. During his campaign, Nathan knocked on over 3,000 doors in the Irmo, Chapin, Dutch Fork, Ballentine community and, to this day, continues to stay in constant communication with his voters through Constituent Service Nights and other events as well as his website, Twitter and Facebook.

Nathan quickly got to work for his state when he was eleced Vice Chairman of the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs committee during his freshman year (2005). He worked tirelessly to get the first bill he filed to become law. In just three short months, H.3741 became law and the Palmetto State (and senior citizens in particular) soon benefitted from an increased focus on geriatric medicine.

In just his 2nd year in office, Nathan again focused on healthcare; this time focusing on our young autistic children. Even though H.4351 ultimately died in the Senate; Nathan’s hard work enabled similar legislation to pass the following year.

Another re-election (2007–2008) provided an opportunity to push fiscal issues that led to the passage of H.3008 (reduced tax burden on non-profits) and a House Rule change banning hidden earmarks.

During 2009 and 2010, Nathan was the chief cosponsor, with then-Representative Nikki Haley, pushing for more accountability with On-The-Record Voting. That bill ultimately died in the Senate; but not before the House made a rule change and passed the bill with no dissenting votes. In 2011 at the request of Governor Haley, Nathan became lead sponsor for the On-The-Record Voting Bill and is hopeful for passage of one of the Governor's top issues to improve accountability in the SC General Assembly.

In the 2010 session, Nathan’s Campaign Finance Disclosure Bill became law and now provides even more sunshine into the money behind state politics in South Carolina. The bill requires every elected official (from school board, to county office holders, etc.) to file their campaign disclosure report on-lin.

During his brief career in the SC General Assembly, Ballentine has served on the Education and Public Works Committee, the House Ethics Committee, the Joint Transportation Review Screening Committee, and has been named a Friend of the Taxpayer and Taxpayer Hero every year he has served in Columbia. He receives high grades from Business and Industry groups as well as the SC Club for Growth and the NRA.

Presently (2011) Nathan is the Chairman of the Regulations Subcommittee in the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee.

Family – Nathan and his wife Karen are actively involved in Riverland Hills Baptist Church; he has a step-daughter, Sarah Katherine (14), son Jonathan Carroll, Jr. (6), and daughter Emma Logan (5).

Business and Professional – Nathan has worked for the same company since graduating from the University of South Carolina in December, 1992 and is currently Vice President and Branch Manager for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage here in Columbia.

Did you know? Nathan doesn’t keep his State House salary. He donates his salary to local community groups and organizations and in 2006 designated funds specifically to scholarships for deserving seniors in our community. In his six years in office he has returned over $40,000 to his community.

External links

• Nathan Ballentine official website
• South Carolina Legislature - Representative Nathan Ballentine (R) 71st District official SC House website
• Project Vote Smart - Representative Nathan Ballentine (SC) profile
• Follow the Money - Nathan Ballentine
  • 2006 2004 campaign contributions

Persondata
Name	Ballentine, Nathan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1970-12-10
Place of birth	Columbia, South Carolina
Date of death
Place of death