John Carter | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 31st district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
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Preceded by | None (District Created After 2000 Census) |
Personal details | |
Born |
John Rice Carter November 6, 1941 Houston, Texas |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Erika Carter |
Children | Four children |
Residence | Round Rock, Texas |
Alma mater |
Texas Tech University, University of Texas School of Law |
Occupation | attorney, judge |
Religion | Lutheran – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
John Rice Carter (born November 6, 1941) is the U.S. Representative for Texas's 31st congressional district, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Carter was elected Secretary of the House Republican Conference by his colleagues on November 17, 2006.
Carter was born in Houston, but has spent most of his life in central Texas. Carter graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in history in 1964, and earned a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1969.
After graduating from law school, Carter served as the first general counsel to the Texas House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee. Carter later began a successful private law practice in Round Rock.
In 1981, Carter was appointed as judge of the 277th District Court of Williamson County. He was elected to the post a year later — the first Republican elected to a countywide position in Williamson County. He was reelected four times, usually with 60% of the vote.
A staunch fiscal and social conservative, Carter prides himself on having raised a family built on what he calls "Texas Values."
Carter is best known as the author of a law that made it easier to prove identity theft and provides stiff penalties for the offense. It was signed into law by George W. Bush in 2004.
In the 110th Congress, Congressman Carter has sponsored and co-sponsored a number of bills including the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, the Terrorist Death Penalty Act of 2008, and a bill condemning the vandalism of the Vietnam War Memorial on the National Mall. On the Appropriations Committee, Congressman Carter introduced an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill to provide $12 million in funding to the section 287(g) of the Immigration Nationality Act (INA) which allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate enforcement powers to state and local law enforcement allowing them to investigate, detain and arrest criminal aliens. However, this amendment was defeated in committee.