Lamar S. Smith
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Lamar Smith | |
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Chairman of the House Science Committee | |
Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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Preceded by | Ralph Hall |
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee | |
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 |
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Preceded by | John Conyers |
Succeeded by | Bob Goodlatte |
Chairman of the House Ethics Committee | |
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001 |
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Preceded by | James V. Hansen |
Succeeded by | Joel Hefley |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 21st district |
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Assumed office January 3, 1987 |
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Preceded by | Tom Loeffler |
Bexar County Commissioner from the 3rd district |
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In office January 1983 – January 1985 |
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Preceded by | Jeff Wentworth |
Succeeded by | Walter Bielstein |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 57th district |
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In office December 15, 1981 – November 15, 1982 |
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Preceded by | James Nowlin |
Succeeded by | Chock Word |
Personal details | |
Born | Lamar Seeligson Smith November 19, 1947 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Lynn Schaefer |
Alma mater | Yale University Southern Methodist University |
Religion | Christian Science |
Lamar Seeligson Smith (born November 19, 1947) is the U.S. Representative (Republican) for Texas's 21st congressional district, serving since 1987. The district includes most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as well as some of the Texas Hill Country. He sponsored the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and the Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act (PCIP). He also co-sponsored the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.[1]
Contents
Early life, education, and legal career
Smith earned a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University (1969)[2] and a J.D. from Southern Methodist University (1969). Smith attended and graduated from private high school at T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas (1965). [3]
In 1969, he was hired as a management intern by the Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C.[4] He was a business and financial writer for the Christian Science Monitor (1970–72).[4] He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1975 and went into private practice in San Antonio with the firm of Maebius and Duncan, Inc.[4]
State politics
In 1978, he was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Bexar County. In 1980, Smith was elected to the Texas House of Representatives representing Bexar County, the 57th District. He served on the Energy Resources Committee and the Fire Ants Select Committee.[5] In 1982, he was elected to the 3rd Precinct of the Bexar County Commission.[citation needed]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
- 1986
In 1986, four-term incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Tom Loeffler of Texas' 21st congressional district decided to retire to run for governor of Texas. Smith led a crowded six-way primary with 31% of the vote[6] and then defeated Van Archer in the run-off election 54%–46%.[7] He won the general election with 61% of the vote.[8]
- 1988–2002
During this time period, he never won re-election with less than 72% of the vote.
- 2004
Smith's district was significantly altered in the 2003 Texas redistricting. While he lost most of the Hill Country to the 23rd District, he picked up a significant portion of Austin, including the area around the University of Texas, a traditional bastion of liberalism. Smith won re-election with 62% of the vote, Smith's lowest winning percentage since his initial run in 1986.[9]
- 2006
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In 2006, the Supreme Court of the United States threw out the 23rd District in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry on the grounds that it violated the rights of Latino voters. The 23rd is the largest district in the nation (not counting the at-large districts), stretching across 800 road miles from El Paso to San Antonio. Due to its size, nearly every district in the El Paso-San Antonio corridor had to be redrawn. Smith regained most of the Hill Country, but kept a large portion of his share of Austin, including the area around the University of Texas.
In November 2006 the Texas Legislative Council [10] found that nearly two-thirds of voters in District 21 cast ballots for statewide Republican candidates in 2004. In the November 2006 open election, Smith faced six candidates. He defeated Democrats John Courage and Gene Kelly 60%–24%–9%.[11][12] This was Smith's lowest winning percentage of his career.
- 2008
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He only faced one candidate, Libertarian nominee James Arthur Strohm, and defeated him with 80% of the vote.[13]
- 2010
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He faced two candidates, Democratic nominee Lainey Melnick and Libertarian nominee James Arthur Strohm, and won with 69% of the vote.[14]
- 2012
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Smith faced five challengers in the 2012 general election on November 6, 2012: Candace Duval (Dem), John-Henry Liberty (Lib), Fidel Castillo (Grn), Bill Stout (Grn), and Carlos Pena (Ind).[15] He won the race with 63% of the vote.[16]
- 2014
Smith won re-nomination to fifteenth House term in the Republican primary held on March 4, 2014. He received 40,262 votes (60.4 percent). His runner-up was Matt McCall, with 22,596 votes (33.9 percent). Michael J. Smith polled the remaining 3,772 votes (5.7 percent).[17]
Tenure
- Abortion
Smith has consistently supported restrictions on abortion. In 2009, Smith voted to prohibit federally funded abortions.[18] In 2006, Smith voted for the Abortion Pain Bill, which would “ensure that women seeking an abortion are fully informed regarding the pain experienced by their unborn child”,[19] and the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which would “prohibit taking minors across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions”.[20] In 2008, the National Right to Life Committee, an anti-abortion-rights advocacy group,[21] gave Representative Smith a rating of 100 on a point system in which points were assigned for actions in support of legislation they described as pro-life.[22]
- Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
On April 23, 2006 CNET reported that Smith was introducing a bill that "would expand the DMCA's restrictions on software that can bypass copy protections and grant federal police more wiretapping and enforcement powers".[23] The move sparked a negative response among technology enthusiasts in opposition to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
- Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011
On June 23, 2011, H.R. 2306 was introduced to Congress by Barney Frank and co-signer Ron Paul.[24] The intent of the bill was to end the Federal prohibition on cannabis, turning over the regulation of marijuana to states (similar to alcohol). The bill was the first of its kind since prohibition began. H.R. 2306 would limit federal powers to interstate transfer; while laws for cultivation, sales, use, and taxation would be determined by each state. This bill was well received by the public, especially medical marijuana patients and activists.[citation needed]
Lamar Smith informed reporters that he had no intention of considering the bill or providing it with a hearing. With Smith's position as chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary, he has great influence on what bills will be considered.
Smith stated that "Marijuana use and distribution is prohibited under federal law because it has a high potential for abuse and does not have an accepted medical use in the U.S., The Food and Drug Administration has not approved smoked marijuana for any condition or disease".[25] Smith also stated that "Decriminalizing marijuana will only lead to millions more Americans becoming addicted to drugs and greater profits for drug cartels who fund violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Allowing states to determine their own marijuana policy flies in the face of Supreme Court precedent".[25]
On June 24, 2011, Lamar Smith's Facebook page was flooded with protests from citizens, asking him to change his position on the bill and calling for a fair hearing. Smith's Facebook page was temporarily taken down soon after, to be returned void of all comments related to H.R. 2306 and with future comments disabled.[26] The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) encouraged MMJ patients and activists to contact Smith via his phone, which was soon turned to an automatic answering machine, stating the office was closed.[26]
- Donations
In 2011 Smith had received $37,250 in campaign contributions from the Beer, Wine and Liquor Lobby,[27][clarification needed] and $65,800 total between 2009 and 2011. He received more than $133,000 from the Content Industry, including Industry groups and individual companies through mid-2011. Another $60,000 was donated by these companies in the 2012 Election Cycle.[28] Maplight.org listed the Beer, Wine, and Liquor Lobby as third among Smith's top ten campaign contributors, and Content Industry as #1.[29]
- Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
In 2011 Smith co-sponsored the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, a bill that made significant changes to the U.S. patent system.[1] The bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama on September 16, 2011.[30] The law will switch U.S. rights to a patent from the present first-to-invent system to a first inventor-to-file system for patent applications filed on or after March 16, 2013.[31][32]
- Space Launch Liability Indemnification Extension Act
On November 20, 2013, Smith introduced the Space Launch Liability Indemnification Extension Act (H.R. 3547; 113th Congress), a bill that would extend until December 31, 2014, the current limitation on liability of commercial space launch companies.[33] Under the current system, the space launch company is liable for any damages up to $500 million, after which the U.S. Government will pay the damages in the range of $500 million to $2.7 billion. Above $2.7 billion, the company is again responsible.[34]
- STEM Education Act of 2014
On July 8, 2014, Smith introduced the STEM Education Act of 2014 (H.R. 5031; 113th Congress), a bill that would add computer science to the definition of STEM fields used by the United States federal government in determining grants and education funding.[35][36] Smith said that "we have to capture and hold the desire of our nation's youth to study science and engineering so they will want to pursue these careers. A health and viable STEM workforce, literate in all STEM subjects including computer science, is critical to American industries. We must work to ensure that students continue to go into these fields so that their ideas can lead to a more innovative and prosperous America."[37]
- Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)
On October 26, 2011, Smith introduced the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), also known as SOPA.[38] The bill sought to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. SOPA faced significant opposition from internet freedom advocacy groups and web companies, and on January 15, 2012, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor cancelled a planned vote on the bill.[39][40][41]
- Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers (PCIP) Act
On May 25, 2011, Smith introduced the Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011, which sought to change sentencing rules and mandated that ISPs keep logs of customer data (such as name, IP addresses, credit card numbers, and bank account numbers) for at least a year.[42] Representative Zoe Lofgren, (D-Calif.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) criticized PCIP. Lofgren said a better name would be "Keep Every Americans' Digital Data for Submission to the Federal Government Without a Warrant Act". Conyers said the bill would allow use of the information for purposes entirely unrelated to fighting child pornography.[42][43]
- Taxes
Smith is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[44]
- Climate change
As of 2015, Smith has received more than $600,000 from the fossil fuel industry during his career in Congress.[45] In 2014, Smith got more money from fossil fuels than he did from any other industry.[46] Smith is publicly skeptic of global warming.[47][48][49] Under his leadership, the House Science committee has held hearings that feature the views of skeptics,[50] subpoenaed the records and communications of scientists who published papers that Smith disapproved of,[47] and attempted to cut NASA's earth sciences budget.[51] He has been criticized for conducting "witch hunts" against climate scientists.[46] In his capacity as Chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Smith issued more subpoenas in his first three years than the committee had for its entire 54 year history.[46]
Committee assignments
Smith currently serves as chairman of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology for the 113th Congress, having replaced Ralph Hall.[52] Smith has previously served on the Committee on Homeland Security, Committee on the Judiciary (Chairman), the Republican Study Committee, and the Tea Party Caucus.
On January 30, 2015, Law360 reported that Smith has sent letters to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and to the chief technology officer at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, asking for an explanation of media claims of HealthCare.gov sharing private data supplied by subscribers with third-parties such as Google, Twitter, and YouTube.[53]
Personal life
Smith is a Christian Scientist. In 1992, he married Elizabeth Lynn Schaefer,[54] a Christian Science practitioner and teacher, as was his first wife, Jane Shoultz, before her death in 1991.[55] They have two children, Nell Seeligson (born 1976) and Tobin Wells (born 1979), from his previous marriage.
Electoral history
Year | Name | Party | Votes | % | Name | Party | Votes | % | Name | Party | Votes | % | ||||
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1986 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 100,346 | 61% | Pete Snelson | Democratic | 63,779 | 39% | James Robinson | Libertarian | 1,432 | 1% | ||||
1988 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 203,989 | 93% | James Robinson | Libertarian | 14,801 | 7% | ||||||||
1990 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 144,570 | 75% | Kirby Roberts | Democratic | 48,585 | 25% | ||||||||
1992 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 190,979 | 72% | James Gaddy | Democratic | 62,827 | 24% | William Grisham | Libertarian | 10,847 | 4% | ||||
1994 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 165,595 | 90% | Kerry Lowry | Independent | 18,480 | 10% | ||||||||
1996 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 205,830 | 76% | Gordon Wharton | Democratic | 60,338 | 22% | Randy Rutenbeck | Natural Law | 3,139 | 1% | ||||
1998 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 165,047 | 91% | Jeffrey Blunt | Libertarian | 15,561 | 9% | ||||||||
2000 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 251,049 | 76% | Jim Green | Democratic | 73,326 | 22% | C.W. Steinbrecher | Libertarian | 6,503 | 2% | ||||
2002 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 161,836 | 73% | John Courage | Democratic | 56,206 | 25% | D.G. Roberts | Libertarian | 4,051 | 2% | ||||
2004 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 209,774 | 61% | Rhett Smith | Democratic | 121,129 | 36% | Jason Pratt | Libertarian | 10,216 | 3% | ||||
2006 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 122,486 | 60% | John Courage | Democratic | 49,957 | 25% | Gene Kelly | Democratic | 18,355 | 9% | [59] | |||
2008 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 243,471 | 80% | James Strohm | Libertarian | 60,879 | 20% | ||||||||
2010 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 162,924 | 69% | Lainey Melnick | Democratic | 65,927 | 28% | James Strohm | Libertarian | 7,694 | 3% | ||||
2012 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 187,015 | 61% | Candace Duval | Democratic | 109,326 | 35% | John-Henry Liberty | Libertarian | 12,524 | 4% | ||||
2014 | Lamar Smith | Republican | 135,660 | 72% | Antonio Diaz | Green | 27,831 | 15% | Ryan Shields | Libertarian | 25,505 | 13% |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jackson, Leahy, Smith and Ryan named policymakers of the year, Politico, Published 2011-11-29, Accessed 2012-02-01.
- ↑ Even Presidential Science Advisers Can Give Boring Lectures. sciencemag.org. Retrieved on 2016-01-3.
- ↑ US Rep Lamar Smith in 1965 at TMI. myalamoheights.com. Retrieved on 2016-01-3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Representative Lamar S. Smith[dead link]. Independenceave.org. Retrieved on 2012-02-15.
- ↑ Legislative Reference Library | Legislators and Leaders | Member profile. Lrl.state.tx.us. Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
- ↑ TX District 21 – R Primary Race – May 03, 1986. Our Campaigns. Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
- ↑ TX District 21 – R Runoff Race – Jun 07, 1986. Our Campaigns. Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
- ↑ TX District 21 Race – Nov 04, 1986. Our Campaigns. Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
- ↑ TX – District 21 Race – Nov 02, 2004. Our Campaigns. Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
- ↑ Gary Martin, "Courage, other veterans speak out against Bush"[dead link], San Antonio Express-News, February 8, 2006.
- ↑ Greg Jefferson, "Remap is looking good for incumbent Smith"[dead link], San Antonio Express-News, September 3, 2006.
- ↑ TX – District 21 Race – Nov 07, 2006. Our Campaigns. Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
- ↑ TX – District 21 Race – Nov 04, 2008. Our Campaigns. Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
- ↑ TX – District 21 Race – Nov 02, 2010. Our Campaigns. Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
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- ↑ Declan McCullagh , "Congress readies broad new digital copyright bill", CNET, April 24, 2006.
- ↑ H.R. 2306: Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011. GovTrack.us. Retrieved on 2011-11-16.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Marijuana bill officially introduced to Congress by Ron Paul, Barney Frank", Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2011, Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Reefer Madness: Alive And Well In The Federal Government!", NORML blog, (2011-06-24). Retrieved on 2012-1-26.
- ↑ Lamar Smith: Campaign Finance/Money – Summary – Representative 2012. OpenSecrets. Retrieved on 2011-11-16.
- ↑ [1] Opensecrets.org, Retrieved on 2012-22-02.
- ↑ Lamar Smith (R-TX) U.S. House | MAPLight.org – Money and Politics. MAPLight.org. Retrieved on 2011-11-16.
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- ↑ http://www.law360.com/health/articles/616939/rep-demands-answers-on-healthcare-gov-data-sharing
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ In 2006, four other candidates received another 6% of the vote.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Lamar Smith official U.S. House site
- Lamar Smith for Congressman
- Lamar S. Smith at DMOZ
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
- Profile at SourceWatch
United States House of Representatives | ||
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Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 21st congressional district 1987–present |
Incumbent |
Preceded by | Chairman of the House Ethics Committee 1999–2001 |
Succeeded by Joel Hefley |
Preceded by | Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by Bob Goodlatte |
Preceded by | Chairman of the House Science Committee 2013–present |
Incumbent |
United States order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by | United States Representatives by seniority 15th |
Succeeded by Fred Upton |
- Articles with dead external links from March 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from September 2013
- Articles with unsourced statements from February 2012
- Wikipedia articles needing clarification from November 2011
- Articles with DMOZ links
- 1947 births
- American Christian Scientists
- County commissioners in Texas
- Living people
- Members of the Texas House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
- People from San Antonio, Texas
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Southern Methodist University alumni
- Tea Party movement activists
- Texas Republicans
- Yale University alumni