Rep. Chris Smith called on his colleagues to pass "Sami's Law," a bill he named after Samantha Josephson of Robbinsville, NJ, during floor debate July 30. Sami was killed by a man posing as her Uber ride in 2019. Smith worked with Sami's parents, Seymour and Marci Josephson, to craft a bipartisan bill to improve ride-hail, sometime called ride-share, safety. The measure passed in a voice vote, and is pending in the Senate.
Learn More
Rep. Chris Smith chaired a hearing in July to focus attention on the case of missing Bishop James Su Zhimin, who has endured approximately 40 years in prison in China for exercising his universally-recognized human right of religious freedom. Said Smith, "Today, I again join many, including the Bishop’s relatives, and ask President Xi Jinping: where is Bishop Su? And why does a powerful dictatorship fear peaceful men and women of faith and virtue? "
Learn More
Rep. Chris Smith addressed Voices Against Trafficking's recent 2020 webinar, stating, "Human trafficking is a barbaric human rights abuse that thrives on greed, secrecy, a perverted sense of entitlement to exploit the vulnerable and an unimaginable disregard for the victims. Twenty years ago, the U.S. Congress approved and the President signed first-ever historic legislation that I authored—the Trafficking Victims Protections Protection Act... ."
Learn More
Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) was a guest on Fox and Friends First with anchor Rob Schmidt in July on the topic of China making good on a threat to sanction him for his human rights work regarding Muslim Uyghurs now being persecuted in labor camps with coerced sterilizations and other abuses. Smith has also spoken up for Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and Chinese human rights advocates whom the Chinese government targets.
Learn More
Congressman Chris Smith was a guest on a June episode of "Jersey Matters" with New Jersey News Network's Larry Mendte. They discussed COVID-19 nursing home deaths in NJ, policing reform, the hard-hit Jersey Shore fishing industry and more.
Learn More
The State of New Jersey has announced a plan to ease the coronavirus restrictions the Murphy Administration placed on New Jersey residents and businesses.
Learn More
Just in time for the summer season, Gov. Murphy lifted his COVID-19 restrictions on the number of anglers permitted on charter and head boats, as long as all anglers adhere to 6’ social distancing. Smith, the Recreational Fishing Alliance and the United Boatmen of NJ pressed the State to ease restrictions on this vital part of the Shore economy.
Learn More
Bipartisan legislation to extend and enhance the Paycheck Protection Program, which is helping sustain businesses and pay workers during the economic devastation wrought by COVID-19, passed the House May 28. Rep. Chris Smith, who supported the creation of the PPP and recent legislation nearly doubling its funding, said the new Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act is needed to make the program more accessible to struggling small businesses.
Learn MoreThe brutal atrocities and continuing threats to Nigerian peace and stability—especially to Christians under seemingly relentless attacks by radical Islamists in Nigeria—were at the core of testimony by U.S. State Department officials and human rights organizations at a hearing today, “Conflict and Killings in Nigeria’s Middle Belt,” held... READ MORE
On Thursday, December 17 from 1–4 p.m., Congressman Chris Smith will co-chair a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on the deteriorating human rights situation in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, including its religious dimensions, and proposed responses. The underlying causes of the conflict in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are complex and ... READ MORE
George Woolston Burlington County Times USA TODAY NETWORK - The $732 billion bill that sets spending and policy for the U.S. military has passed the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday with bipartisan support. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) received bipartisan support by passing 335-78, with a total of 140 Republicans an... READ MORE
By U.S. Rep. Chris Smith - Dec. 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), rightfully heralded as a human rights landmark. To understand how the UDHR came about and what made it necessary, however, we need to first recall what preceded it. The UDHR was born of the horrors of the... READ MORE
By Carly Baldwin, Patch Staff Dec 9, 2020 2:36 pm ET Legislation authored by this area's Congressman, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), to help veterans heal through outdoor recreational therapy, has now been signed into law by President Trump. Smith's bipartisan Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, which was endorsed by more than 120 vet... READ MORE
The House passed and Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) voted for the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, new legislation that will protect the airlift and air refueling missions at America’s only tri-service installation, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL), and brings $37 million in construction jobs that will suppo... READ MORE