As many of you may have seen, it’s been a busy week in Washington, D.C. with Supreme Court decisions and legislative debates on issues like immigration that impact all Americans. But though they may not have received as much media time, Congress is continuing to work on other issues of national importance that affect communities and constituents across the country.

Below is a summary of some of the investigations and legislation that we’re working on in the House of Representatives. To receive regular updates on what Congress is doing this summer, please sign up for my E-Newsletter, visit my website or follow me on Facebook and Twitter.  As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 202-225-4236 to share your views.

Sincerely,

Lamar Smith
Member of Congress

 
Immigration Reforms Should Put Americans First

Following this week’s vote in the Senate, the debate over how to reform our nation’s immigration system turns now to the House of Representatives. I believe one key principle should guide our efforts – our nation’s immigration policies should put the interests of American workers and taxpayers first.

Unfortunately, the Senate bill is filled with flaws. It includes a provision that makes it $5,000 cheaper for businesses to employ foreign workers than American workers. It legalizes 11 million illegal immigrants within six months, but includes no deadlines for when the border must be secured. So it’s legalization now and border security later, if ever. That will only encourage more illegal immigration. And the Senate bill will cost taxpayers $6.3 trillion because over their lifetimes illegal immigrants will take more from government benefits than they pay into the programs.

America has the most generous immigration system in the world, admitting one million legal immigrants each year. That generosity should continue. But Congress should not promote policies that put foreign workers and illegal immigrants before American citizens. More information on the Senate immigration bill can be found HERE.
 

Bill Requires Employers to Hire Legal Workers

Twenty-two million Americans are unemployed or underemployed. Meanwhile, seven million people work in the U.S. illegally. These jobs should go to American citizens and legal immigrants.

I introduced the Legal Workforce Act to require employers to check the work eligibility of future hires by using the E-Verify system. The bill reduces illegal immigration by shutting off the jobs magnet that draws millions of illegal workers to the U.S. E-Verify is quick and effective, confirming 99.7% of work-eligible employees. Today, over 450,000 American employers voluntarily use E-Verify with 1,600 new businesses signing up each week.

This week, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Legal Workforce Act by a vote of 22-9. More information about E-Verify and my efforts to protect American workers can be found HERE.

The EPA Stonewalls on Secret Science

As Chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I am leading an investigation into the EPA’s use of secret data to support its upcoming air quality regulations. The EPA has projected that its new ozone standard will be the most costly regulation in U.S. history. Working families and small businesses will bear the brunt of this new rule.

For months, the Committee has sought information from the EPA about what specific scientific data they used to support these new air regulations. But the EPA continues to stonewall our request.

The American people have the right to know what data the EPA is using to support their claims that these costly regulations are necessary. If the EPA does not have anything to hide, why not make this information public? More information about my investigation into the EPA’s use of secret science can be found HERE.

More Problems at the IRS Emerge
The Treasury Department Inspector General has reported that while 292 conservative groups were targeted by the IRS for additional scrutiny, only six progressive groups were singled out for screening. Targeting of organizations or individuals for their political views threatens our democracy. But this is not the only scandal at the IRS.
The Inspector General found that IRS credit cards racked up over $100 million in personal purchases. The taxpayer-funded expenditures included wine, dinners and even diet pills. This is stealing from American taxpayers plain and simple. Congress will continue to investigate the IRS. And government employees who abused their authority should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Results of Constituent Surveys
A great way to keep in touch with constituents while I’m working in Washington is through telephone town hall meetings. I recently held several tele-townhalls with more than 11,000 constituents from across the 21^st Congressional District of Texas.

During the calls, I asked participants to share their views on issues like immigration and government spending. In Hill Country Counties, 88% of respondents believe the U.S.-Mexico border should be secured before other immigration reforms are implemented. In the Austin area, 78% of participants favor a system that requires employers to hire legal workers. And in Bexar County, 88% of respondents want the federal government to balance its budget.
It’s always helpful hearing from constituents and I appreciate the thousands of folks who took time to participate in these calls.