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Washington, D.C.: House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte released the following statement after H.R. 6671 was signed into law. H.R. 6671, legislation introduced by Chairman Goodlatte, amends the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (VPPA) to allow videotape service providers to facilitate sharing on social media networks of the video content watched or recommended by users.
Washington, D.C. -- The Senate today approved legislation authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) to reauthorize provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a law that governs the surveillance of foreign terrorists and spies. The FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 (H.R. 5949) passed the Senate by a vote of 73-23.
Washington, D.C. - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced that it will again delay the deadline for states to tighten security requirements for driver’s licenses. The current deadline for states to become materially compliant with REAL ID is January 15, 2013. But DHS has announced that it will grant deferment to states that are not REAL ID compliant for an unknown period of time.
Washington, D.C. - President Obama today signed into law the Child Protection Act of 2012 (H.R. 6063), a bipartisan, bicameral bill authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) to better protect children from sexual predators. Chairman Smith and Rep. Wasserman Schultz joined the President at a signing ceremony at the White House.
Washington, D.C. - Senate Republicans today asked that the STEM Jobs Act (H.R.
Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives today approved the STEM Jobs Act (H.R. 6429) by a vote of 245-139. This bill eliminates the diversity visa program and reallocates up to 55,000 new green cards to the most highly qualified foreign graduates of American universities with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The bill also contains a provision to put families first, allowing the spouses and minor children of legal permanent residents to come to the U.S.
Bill Goes to President’s Desk for Signature
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas); House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon; House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers; and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, released the following statement today on the release of Hezbollah operative Ali Mussa Daqduq.
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today sent letters to Attorney General Eric Holder and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Mueller regarding the disclosure of an investigation that led to the uncovering of an affair involving CIA Director David Petraeus.
Washington, D.C. - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano this week announced that gay partners will be considered as family members when immigration agents are trying to decide whether or not to try to deport an illegal immigrant from the U.S. The directive means illegal immigrants in partnerships with American citizens could be spared deportation under the same leniency that is already often accorded to married couples. This new directive may violate the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage at the federal level as th