Rep. Lamar Smith All But Certain To Be New House SS&T Committee Chair

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) won the endorsement of the House Republican steering committee to be the new chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee today.  While the decision officially still must be ratified by the full House Republican Conference, the outcome is all but certain.

Smith is one of three Republicans vying to succeed Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) as chair of the committee.  Rep. Hall is term-limited as committee chair and must relinquish his post.   The other contenders are Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA).  Smith is chair of the House Judiciary Committee, but is also barred by term limits from continuing in that position.

House Speaker John Boehner announced today the list of committee chairs endorsed by the steering committee.  Smith will chair the SS&T Committee, while Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) remain as chairs of the Armed Services Committee and Intelligence Committee respectively.  The full Republican Conference is expected to ratify the decisions tomorrow.