Jason Smith speaks in support of H.R.5659, the Expanding Seniors Receiving Dialysis Choice Act of 2016 Recorded September 20, 2016
Jason Thomas Smith (born June 16, 1980) is an American businessman and politician who has been the U.S. representative for Missouri's 8th congressional district since 2013.[1] The district comprises 30 counties, covering just under 20,000 square miles of southeastern and southern Missouri.[2]
At age 20, Smith earned two degrees from the University of Missouri: a Bachelor of Science in agriculture economics and a Bachelor of Science in business administration. He attended law school at Oklahoma City University. He is a licensed real estate agent and formed his own small business specializing in property investment and development. He earned his Juris Doctor in 2004.[6][7]
Missouri House of Representatives
State Representative Jason Smith in 2012
Elections
2005 special election
After state representative Frank Barnitz resigned in 2005, Smith ran for Missouri's 150th House District in a special election. The 150th covered portions of Dent, Phelps, Crawford, and Reynolds counties. Smith defeated Democratic challenger Bobby Simpson 54%–44%.[8]
2006 election
One year after being elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in a special election, Smith defeated Democrat Jim O'Donnell 64%–32%.
2008 election
In 2008, Smith received 70% of the vote, defeating Democrat James D. Ellis.[9]
2010 election
In November 2010, Smith was unopposed in his reelection campaign to his fourth full term to the Missouri House of Representatives.[10] After his reelection, he was elected by his peers to serve as one of the youngest majority whips to serve in the Missouri House of Representatives.[11]
2012 election
Smith was again unopposed in his final election to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2012.[12]
Tenure
At age 25 upon taking office in 2005, Smith became the youngest member of the Missouri House of Representatives. During his first year in office, he served as Majority Assistant Deputy Whip[13] and served on the Agriculture Policy Committee, Appropriations—Education Committee and the Judiciary Committee.[13]
From 2007-2009, Smith served as the vice chair of the Special Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development.[14]
In 2011, Smith sponsored legislation to repeal a 2010-approved referendum, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, regarding oversight of dog breeding businesses requiring "daily feeding, annual veterinary care, increased living spaces and greater access to outdoor exercise".[15] Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat, signed the repeal into law in 2011.[16]
In 2013, Smith was elected by his peers to serve as the speaker pro tempore.[17]
Per Missouri statute, Smith was selected by the 8th District Republican Central Committee to be the party's nominee in the June special election. The selection process—which began with 27 candidates and narrowed to 13 on nomination day—lasted six total rounds before Smith was the last one standing as the Republican nominee on February 9, 2013. Some of the other candidates included state representative Todd Richardson of Poplar Bluff, former state treasurer of Missouri and U.S. representative Wendell Bailey, former state senator Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau, Lieutenant GovernorPeter Kinder, former state treasurer of Missouri Sarah Steelman, state representative Clint Tracy of Cape Girardeau, and state senator Wayne Wallingford of Cape Girardeau.
In the June special election, Smith was challenged by Democratic state representative Steve Hodges of East Prairie, businessman Doug Enyart of the Constitution Party, and Libertarian Bill Slantz. He was declared the winner of the special election on June 4.[18] The election marked the 47th consecutive U.S. House race in Missouri in which Democrats failed to pick up a Republican-held seat dating back to 1994 – the second longest Democratic pick-up drought in the nation.[19]
2014
After an unopposed primary election on August 5, 2014[20] and 17 months after the special election, Smith was up for his first reelection on November 4, 2014. He won a five-way race with two-thirds of the vote and carried all 30 counties in the district.
Tenure
Smith in 2015
In 2015, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution, Smith issued a statement decrying the decision. His statement included "As the son of a preacher, I have never wavered in my commitment to the biblical definition of marriage, and in our state, more than a million Missourians voted to define marriage as between one man and one woman."[21]
On March 8, 2017, Smith, during debate about a tanning salon tax under the Affordable Care Act, wondered aloud, "What I found on Google is roughly 80% of who's taxed is women... Today is International Women's Day. It's interesting no one is bringing that up." He continued, "You look at the number one cause of skin cancer... It's the sun. So I've noticed the people over here haven't found too many taxes they dislike. So why have they not proposed a tax on the sun?"[22]
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Smith had a role in writing and passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.[24]
On January 17, 2019, Smith shouted "Go back to Puerto Rico!" at House Democratic members on the House floor while Representative Tony Cardenas was presiding.[25] He later clarified and apologized to Cardenas and stated his remark was in reference to a recent trip taken to Puerto Rico by several lawmakers, including Cardenas, not to single out anyone's ethnicity.[26] His apology was accepted.[27]
Smith was present on the floor of the House chamber during the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. Smith recalls the events of the attack as rioters began to approach the chamber. As he fled the House chamber, he wore a gas mask and walked passed a woman incapacitated from a gunshot wound. He called the perpetrators' acts as violent, criminal, and unpatriotic.[28]
Smith opposes COVID-19 vaccine mandates, tweeting in July 2021, "The Biden administration wants to knock down your door KGB-style to force people to get vaccinated. We must oppose forced vaccination!"[29]
Smith proposed legislation to increase penalties for tax returns data leaks, supported by a report on Charles E. Littlejohn authored by his Ways and Means Committee.[31]
↑ Sherman, Jake; Palmer, Anna; Bresnahan, John (March 17, 2015). "Aaron Schock's final hours". Politico. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2021. Aaron Schock's Tuesday began with a quiet early-morning stroll near the Capitol with his close friend, Missouri Rep. Jason Smith.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
