About Me

  • About Me

     

    U.S. Representative John R. Carter was re-elected in a landslide in November 2012 to his sixth term representing Texas' Thirty-First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Carter was selected this term as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations and also to serve on the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee and Defense Subcommittee. In addition, this is his third term as Co-Chairman of the bipartisan House Army Caucus. He has been a member of the House Appropriations Committee since 2004.

    Since his first election in 2002, Congressman Carter has established himself as a leader in Congress who has the foresight and courage to author and support numerous pieces of legislation that would increase the protection of U.S. citizens and bring justice to those who threaten our freedom and way of life.

    Congressman Carter is one of the few House Members who has authored legislation signed into law under both Presidents Bush and Obama. In spite of now being a veteran Congressman, John Carter is still known as "Judge" for having served over 20 years on the district court bench in Williamson County, which he won as the first county-wide elected Republican in Williamson County history. Before becoming a Judge, Congressman Carter had a successful private law practice and continued to practice law while serving as the Municipal Judge in Round Rock.

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    Congressman Carter's leadership ability has been recognized by his colleagues and others. During his first term, Congressman Carter was named one of the "Top Five Freshman" in Congress by Capitol Hill's leading newspaper.

    In July 2004, President Bush held a signing ceremony for Congressman Carter's Identity Theft bill at the White House. The law lessens the burden of proof making identity theft easier to prove and prosecute and also defines and creates punishment for aggravated identity theft.

    A true Texan at heart, Congressman Carter was born and raised in Houston and has spent his adult life in Central Texas. Carter attended Texas Tech University where he graduated with a degree in History and then graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1969.Congressman Carter and his wife, Erika, met in Holland and have been happily married since June 15, 1968. Since then they have built a home and raised a family of four on Christian beliefs and strong Texas Values. Congressman Carter and Mrs. Carter are also a proud grandparents to six precious grandchildren.  

     

     

    To stay connected with Chairman Carter:

    Email - http://carter.house.gov/contact-john-nav
    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/judgecarter
    Twitter - https://twitter.com/JudgeCarter
    YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/RepJohnCarter 
    Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/repcarter/
    E-Newsletter - http://carter.congressnewsletter.net/mail/util.cfm?mailaction=profile 
    House Appropriations Committee - http://appropriations.house.gov/

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Protecting Our Independence

The call for American independence came in the summer of 1776. Richard Henry Lee, an American statesman from Virginia read his resolution in Independence Hall, and it began, “Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

The Lee Resolution captured the growing discontent that had spread amongst the 13 colonies since the settlement of Jamestown. Settlers pioneered across the Atlantic Ocean in escape from persecution, and hope for independence, land, wealth, and freedom. These sentiments were finally put to paper by Thomas Jefferson the summer of 1776 in the Declaration of Independence.

After several days of debate and revisions, on July 4, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The 56 signers of the document were weary after the ordeal, but at the same time, they were full of determination to sweep away centuries of servitude to the crown. A new nation was forming - “a national endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

For 237 years, the United States has been navigating the path laid out before us by our Founders: a path that separates power, ensures freedom, and promotes equality. Today, I fear that we have strayed from that path. I fear that over time our Founders’ instructions to guide our country are becoming mere notes in a history book, or a lesson quickly taught and stored away amongst a clutter of thoughts and worries. 

We have allowed ourselves to stray. We have allowed the Executive Branch to take us down a path that was never intended for our country, a path wrought with pressure to sacrifice the liberties our forefathers entrusted to us. In times of hardship and tragedy, it is difficult to remember Jefferson’s words “prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes.”

However, we have elected a leader that exploits tragedy and recession as cause to frivolously expand our government to the point of infringing on our liberties. Don’t you see it? Obamacare, gun controls, and federal agencies being used to target individual organizations based on their political beliefs.

Coerced into buying a product is not freedom; infringing on our right to bear arms is not freedom; suppressing those based on their political beliefs is not freedom.

In 1776, Americans declared that they must abolish the crown for their freedom. Today, I worry that we have many decreeing for a crown.  

These clear oversteps by the federal government are contrary to the credence of our country. The Constitution of the United States is being trampled. The words written by our Founders were to guarantee our freedom, Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness. Today, our liberties are endangered but not defenseless.

We, the American people, must identify these evident oversteps of power. Founder Jonathan Mason said, “Remember that prosperity is dangerous; that, though successful, we are not infallible.” We must always remember to protect our independence, when we prosper and when we suffer. We have learned over the past decade that we are not infallible, but we must always remember that we are Americans.  

May God continue to drive our decisions and continue Independence Day!

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    repName John Smith  
    helpWithFedAgencyAddress Haverhill District Office
    1234 S. Courthouse
    Haverhill, CA 35602    		  
    district 21st District of California  
    academyUSCitizenDate July 1, 2012  
    academyAgeDate July 1, 2012  
    academyApplicationDueDate October 20, 2012  
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  • Office Locations Push

    Office Name Location Image Map URL
    Washington DC
     
    2110 Rayburn H.O.B.
    Washington, D.C. 20515
    (202) 225-3864
    		 http://goo.gl/ZwFDsc
    Round Rock Office
     
    1717 North IH 35
    Suite 303
    Round Rock, TX 78664
    (512) 246-1600
    		 http://goo.gl/maps/NNJtv
    Bell County Office
    6544B S. General Bruce Drive
    Temple, TX 76502
    Located next to the DPS office
    (254) 933-1392
    		 https://goo.gl/maps/fcvH3