The latest Lamar Smith news from The Texas Tribune.
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith said in a press release on Friday that he plans to remove controversial provisions in the Stop Online Piracy Act. As Andy Uhler of KUT News reports, some online-business leaders say the legislation, introduced by Smith, R-San Antonio, could cause economic damage. Full Story
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Online piracy is hurting the nation's economy and putting lives at risk, says U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith. He wrote the Stop Online Piracy Act to address the problem, but his bill has gotten the cold shoulder in his home state. Full Story
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The Obama administration is expected to announce today a change to immigration policies that would ease restrictions on illegal immigrants trying to reenter the country after applying for legal status. Full Story
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Aerial surveillance in the form of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft will replace about 900 National Guard troops on the U.S.-Mexico border as early as next year, a strategy not all Texas lawmakers like. Full Story
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Some are waiting to see what the courts will do. Others want to see if any opponents surface. Regardless, with six days to go until the filing deadline, how many incumbents haven't filed yet? A whole bunch. Full Story
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Some Texas Republicans in Congress still have not endorsed a candidate in the contest for the party's presidential nomination. What are they waiting for? Full Story
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Responding to "stonewalling" allegations by U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, Homeland Security officials said they are spending hours compiling immigration arrest data. If it doesn't please the congressman's committee, DHS could be held in contempt. Full Story
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Texans have elected Rick Perry governor three times. But not all of the state's prominent Republicans are supporting his presidential campaign, which could be politically risky, whether he makes it to the White House or comes home. Full Story
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Congress — including much of the Texas delegation — is poised to approve three trade agreements as soon as today that could boost the state’s exports. Full Story
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Protesters gathered outside the Headliners Club in Austin to urge U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and Congress to pass the American Jobs Act. Boehner was in Austin to attend a reception with several GOP congressmen from Texas. Full Story
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Proposed legislation that would require employers across the country to use the electronic employment-verification program known as E-Verify passed out of a congressional House committee today. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, took his efforts to require nationwide use of the electronic employment verification program, known as E-Verify, before his committee today. “Yes, E-Verify is a jobs killer, but only for illegal workers,” he said. Full Story
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President Obama today blamed Republicans for his administration’s failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform, saying several conservative lawmakers who once supported the measure have buckled under political pressure. Full Story
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Republican U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith’s attempt to strip the Obama administration of its immigration enforcement powers has drawn a harsh rebuke from Texas Democrats in the U.S. House. Full Story
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A senior member of Texas’ congressional delegation wants to strip the Obama administration of its immigration enforcement duties, alleging the president is attempting to create a “backdoor” amnesty for illegal immigrants. Full Story
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Texas has the largest GOP delegation in Congress, and those members have high seniority, spots on key committees and seats at the leadership table — evidence, observers say, of the state’s sway inside the Capitol. Full Story
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The 112th Congress will convene Wednesday with new faces at the helm of a number House committees. Jennifer Stayton of KUT News talked with U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, who will take over as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, about the issues on which he expects to find bipartisan support, the assertion that Americans won't work certain jobs and why he supports a repeal of the new health care law. Full Story
Lawmakers will spend the next six months drawing political maps for Texas, doing their decennial readjustment to make sure each district has the same number of people. But when they’re done, some parts of the state will still get more political attention than others, and the voters have only themselves to blame. Full Story
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At stake in next Tuesday's elections are powerful committee chairmanships in the U.S. House of Representatives, a few of which will likely go to members of the Texas delegation if the GOP does as predicted and wins back the majority. We've built an interactive chart that takes a closer look at which of our Republican congressmen are poised to wield the gavel — Smith? Hall? Hensarling? Burgess? Barton? — and how public policy could be impacted here and elsewhere. Full Story
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In an op-ed published on Fox News' website today, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, accused the Department of Justice of reverse discrimination against whites in its handling of a case against the New Black Panther Party. Full Story
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