Lamar S. Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lamar S. Smith | |
| Texas's 21st district | |
| 1987-present | |
| Political party: | |
|---|---|
| Preceded by: | Tom Loeffler |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent |
| Religion: | Christian Science |
| Born: | November 19, 1947 San Antonio, Texas |
| Spouse: | Elizabeth Lynn Schaefer |
Lamar Seeligson Smith (b. November 19 1947) is a Republican politician from the state of Texas, currently representing the state's 21st Congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives.
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[edit] Biography
Smith was born in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas, Yale University and Southern Methodist University School of Law. Smith is a Christian Scientist.
Smith has a house on Cape Cod, valued at between $250,000 and $500,000, according to his financial disclosure statement for the calendar year 2005 [1]. His residence in his own district is valued at $190,000, according to the Bexar County Appraisal District [2]. Smith said that he owns a one-third interest in a small rental house on Cape Cod, with no driveway and no garage, where he stays during his annual trip to visit his sister, who lives in Massachusetts. This is actually true--I have seen it. <ref name="SAEN-2-8-06">Gary Martin, "Courage, other veterans speak out against Bush", San Antonio Express-News, February 8, 2006</ref>
[edit] Political offices in Texas
Smith was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1980. He served as Bexar County, Texas commissioner from 1982 to 1985.
[edit] U.S. House of Representatives
[edit] Elections
Smith was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986.
In 2002, Smith received 73 percent of the vote against college administrator John Courage. Smith got 62 percent in 2004 to defeat then-Democrat Rhett Smith, a consultant running for governor in 2006 as a Republican.
District boundaries were changed in 2001, in 2003, and again in 2006. Nearly two-thirds of voters in the area making up District 21 as of November 2006 cast ballots for statewide Republican candidates in 2004, according to the Texas Legislative Council.<ref name="SAEN-2-8-06"/>
[edit] Political positions
[edit] 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." <ref>Declan McCullagh , "Congress readies broad new digital copyright bill", CNet, April 24, 2006</ref> The controversial move sparked a negative response among technology enthusiasts in opposition to the DMCA.
[edit] Immigration
In September of 2005, a fax intended for Karl Rove was intercepted in which Smith stated: "Immigration needs to be considered in the context of: (1) Media Bias, (2) Animosity toward the president and (3) the feelings of the Republican base." Smith also suggests that "Liberals can easily and accurately be painted as opposing enforcement."
Smith is a member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims as well as the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity. No issues regarding the legislative jurisdiction of these committees were mentioned in the memo. <ref>Larisa Alexandrovna, "Immigration memo intended for Rove arrives on Democrat's fax", RawStory.com, September 19, 2005</ref>
[edit] 2006 re-election campaign
In the November 2006 open election, Smith will face six candidates: college administrator and veteran John Courage [3], a Democrat; retired Air Force officer Gene Kelly, 80, also a Democrat, who is a frequent candidate; three independents: Tommy Calvert Jr., 25, a San Antonio consultant and community activist, James Lyle Peterson, 57, a computer programmer in Austin, and Mark Rossano, 57, service manager for an Austin automobile dealership; and Libertarian James Arthur Strohm, a technical writer living in Austin.<ref name="SAEN-9-3-06">Greg Jefferson, "Remap is looking good for incumbent Smith", San Antonio Express-News, September 3, 2006</ref>
Courage has questioned $10,000 in donations made by Smith to a legal defense fund for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. Smith said a $5,000 donation to DeLay was made in 2000 for legal defense of a charge that was later dismissed. A second donation of $5,000 was given before a Travis County jury handed up an indictment charging DeLay with money laundering in a campaign finance scheme.<ref name="SAEN-2-8-06"/>
As of December 31, 2005, Smith had more than $1 million cash-on-hand in his campaign fund, compared to $31,900 by Courage, according to Federal Election Commission records.<ref name="SAEN-2-8-06"/> At the end of June 2006, Courage had $72,000 on hand, while Smith reported $1.3 million in the bank.<ref name="SAEN-9-3-06"/>
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
