M. Patricia Smith

Who is M. Patricia Smith?

M. Patricia Smith is the Solicitor of the United States Department of Labor, the department's chief law interpreter-enforcer and third-ranking official. She was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the Solicitor of Labor on April 20, 2009. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 4, 2010, assumed her duties on March 1, 2010, and had her official swearing in ceremony on April 23, 2010. As Solicitor of Labor, Smith oversees over 450 attorneys across the country and more than 180 Federal labor laws and implementing regulations that cover about 125 million workers. As of January 16, 2014 she has been acting United States Deputy Secretary of Labor.

Smith previously was the New York State Commissioner of Labor. She was appointed in 2007 by Governor Eliot Spitzer and continued in the administration of Governor David Paterson. As New York State's Commissioner of Labor, Smith managed a staff of nearly 4,000 employees and a budget of $11 billion. She was also in charge of the New York State's Misclassification task force and Co-Chair of the Governors Economic Security Sub Cabinet.