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Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder requesting any and all Justice Department documents pertaining to the Administration’s military action in Libya. Specifically, Chairman Smith requested any materials that deal with the legal authority of the Administration’s military action and whether the Administration was advised to consider seeking congressional authorization for such operations.
Washington, D.C. - Former Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey today sent a letter to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office supporting the America Invents Act (H.R. 1249), which modernizes and reforms the patent system. H.R. 1249 implements a first-inventor-to-file standard for patent approval, creates a post-grant review system to weed out bad patents, and helps the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) address the backlog of patent applications. Earlier this year, the House Judiciary Committee approved H.R.
Washington, D.C. - Congress today reauthorized important national security provisions that are critical to our intelligence community’s ability to prevent terrorist attacks and keep America safe. The bill (S. 990) extends for four years three expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act, including the roving wiretaps, business records and lone wolf provisions. The provisions were scheduled to expire tonight at one minute past midnight.
Chairman Smith: “I am pleased the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Arizona E-Verify law and their right to revoke business licenses for employers that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Not only is this law constitutional, it is commonsense. American jobs should be preserved for Americans and legal workers.
Washington, DC - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today introduced the Keep Our Communities Safe Act (H.R. 1932) to stop the release of dangerous criminal immigrants into American communities.
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Representative Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) today introduced legislation to protect consumers from unfair taxes on digital goods, like those purchased over the Internet or on a smartphone. The Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2011 (H.R. 1860) ensures that digital goods are not taxed at a higher rate than their tangible counterparts. For example, H.R.
Washington, D.C. - The House Judiciary Committee today approved legislation to reauthorize expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. The Committee favorably reported H.R. 1800, the “FISA Sunsets Reauthorization Act of 2011,” by a vote of 22-13. The bill extends for six years the roving wiretaps and business records provisions and makes permanent the lone wolf provision.
Chairman Smith issued the following statement at today’s markup in support of the bill.
Washington, D.C. - Senate Democrats today reintroduced the DREAM Act, legislation that would legalize millions of illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. Following the introduction of this bill, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) released the statement below.
Washington, D.C. - Claiming that the border is more secure than ever, President Obama today called for legislation to legalize millions of illegal immigration during a speech he gave in El Paso, Texas. Following the President’s remarks, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) released the statement below.
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has instructed an immigration court to ignore the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in future rulings. Earlier this year, the Justice Department abandoned its obligation to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law enacted by Congress and signed by President Clinton to protect the institution of marriage.