This article will be permanently flagged as inappropriate and made unaccessible to everyone. Are you certain this article is inappropriate? Excessive Violence Sexual Content Political / Social
Email Address:
Article Id: WHEBN0000964077 Reproduction Date:
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]
Smith graduated from T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas (1965), Yale University (1969), and Southern Methodist University Law School (1975).[2]
In 1969, he was hired as a management intern by the Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C.[2] He was a business and financial writer for the Christian Science Monitor (1970–72).[2] 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.[2]
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.[3] In 1982, he was elected to the 3rd Precinct of the Bexar County Commission.
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[4] and then defeated Van Archer in the run-off election 54%–46%.[5] He won the general election with 61% of the vote.[6]
During this time period, he never won re-election with less than 72% of the vote.
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.[7]
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 [8] 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%.[9][10] This was Smith's lowest winning percentage of his career.
He only faced one candidate, Libertarian nominee James Arthur Strohm, and defeated him with 80% of the vote.[11]
He faced two candidates, Democratic nominee Lainey Melnick and Libertarian nominee James Arthur Strohm, and won with 69% of the vote.[12]
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).[13] He won the race with 63% of the vote.[14]
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).[15]
Smith has consistently supported restrictions on abortion. In 2009, Smith voted to prohibit federally funded abortions.[16] 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”,[17] 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”.[18] In 2008, the National Right to Life Committee, an anti-abortion-rights advocacy group,[19] 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.[20]
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".[21] The move sparked a negative response among technology enthusiasts in opposition to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
On June 23, 2011, H.R. 2306 was introduced to Congress by Barney Frank and co-signer Ron Paul.[22] 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.
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".[23] According to the National Cancer Institute, "Cannabis and cannabinoids have been studied in the laboratory and the clinic for relief of pain, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, and loss of appetite", though "there is not enough evidence to recommend that patients inhale or ingest Cannabis as a treatment for cancer-related symptoms or side effects of cancer therapy".[24] 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".[23]
On June 24, 2011, Lamar Smith's 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.[25]
In 2011 Smith had received $37,250 in campaign contributions from the Beer, Wine and Liquor Lobby,[26] 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.[27] Maplight.org listed the Beer, Wine, and Liquor Lobby as third among Smith's top ten campaign contributors, and Content Industry as #1.[28]
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.[29] 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.[30][31]
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.[32] 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.[33]
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.[34][35] 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."[36]
On October 26, 2011, Smith introduced the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), also known as SOPA.[37] 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.[38][39][40]
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.[41] 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.[41][42]
Smith is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[43]
Smith is skeptical of global warming.[44][45][46] Under his leadership, the House Science committee has held hearings that feature the views of skeptics,[47] subpoenaed the records and communications of scientists who published papers that Smith disapproved of,[44] and attempted to cut NASA's earth sciences budget.[48]
Smith currently serves as chairman of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology for the 113th Congress, having replaced Ralph Hall.[49] 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.[50]
Smith is a Christian Scientist. In 1992, he married Elizabeth Lynn Schaefer,[51] a Christian Science practitioner and teacher, as was his first wife, Jane Shoultz, before her death in 1991.[52] They have two children, Nell Seeligson (born 1976) and Tobin Wells (born 1979), from his previous marriage.
Gary Johnson, Libertarianism, United States presidential election, 2012, Democratic Party (United States), Ron Paul
San Antonio, Texas, Kendall County, Texas, Comal County, Texas, Guadalupe County, Texas
Republican Party (United States), Democratic Party (United States), United States Senate, United States Congress, United States
Handbook of Texas, Houston, Dallas, New Mexico, Oklahoma
Cryptography, Artificial intelligence, Software engineering, Science, Machine learning
Democratic Party (United States), Republican Party (United States), Republican Party (US), Lamar S. Smith, Libertarian Party (United States)
Electronic Frontier Foundation, Google, Wikimedia Foundation, Republican Party (United States), First Amendment to the United States Constitution
Nasa, Lamar S. Smith, Jim Sensenbrenner, Ralph Hall, Soviet Union
United States House of Representatives, Republican Party (United States), Virginia, United States House Committee on the Judiciary, Incumbent
Richard Nixon, John Conyers, Bob Goodlatte, Virginia, Jim Sensenbrenner