Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder regarding recent resignations and reassignments at ATF following public concerns regarding a Phoenix-based program known as “Fast and Furious,” which intentionally allowed straw buyers for criminal organizations to purchase thousands of guns and traffic them across the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Bipartisan, Bicameral Measure is Biggest Effort to Reform Regulatory Process
in More Than a Decade

Washington, DC - The House Judiciary Committee today approved the Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 2885), a bill that could open up millions of jobs for unemployed American workers by requiring all U.S. employers to use E-Verify.  The bill was reported favorably to the House floor by a vote of 22-13.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the bill’s primary sponsor, today praised the Committee vote.

Washington, D.C. - President Obama today signed into law the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (H.R. 1249) a bipartisan, bicameral bill that updates our patent system to encourage innovation, job creation and economic growth.  Both Houses of Congress overwhelmingly supported the proposal, which was sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas).  The House of Representatives passed H.R. 1249 by a vote of 304-117 earlier this year.

Washington, D.C. - A broad coalition of groups support the Legal Workforce Act, a bill sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) that could open up millions of jobs for unemployed Americans by requiring all U.S. employers to use E-Verify. 

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued the following statement calling on President Obama to include E-Verify in his jobs plan.

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano requesting information and documents about the development of the administration’s backdoor amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) today criticized a California bill that would allow businesses in the state to opt-out of E-Verify.  This bill, the Employment Acceleration Act of 2011 (A.B. 1236), was passed earlier this week by the California State Senate.  The bill now heads to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk for signature.