I think Smith was the leading sponsor of the bill, but that most of the text was actually written by staffers who have since become lobbyists. That aside, I think it would be kind of unreasonable to ask that committee chairs not introduce bills in the areas covered by their committees -- after all, they're supposed to be come policy experts in those topics, right? ;)
Are you aware of particular things that Smith has done using the powers of his chair which seemed inappropriate? Listening to the coverage yesterday, it seemed like he wasn't suppressing debate or anything; there's little need given the overwhelming support the bill has on the committee. However, Lofgren and others repeatedly argued that hearings were required to get the opinions of technical experts ... and I might guess the chair has authority in convening such hearings?
Are you aware of particular things that Smith has done using the powers of his chair which seemed inappropriate? Listening to the coverage yesterday, it seemed like he wasn't suppressing debate or anything; there's little need given the overwhelming support the bill has on the committee. However, Lofgren and others repeatedly argued that hearings were required to get the opinions of technical experts ... and I might guess the chair has authority in convening such hearings?