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.
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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? "
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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... ."
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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.
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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.
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The State of New Jersey has announced a plan to ease the coronavirus restrictions the Murphy Administration placed on New Jersey residents and businesses.
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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.
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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 MoreBy Amanda Oglesby, STAFF WRITER More wildfire protection is coming to the Roosevelt City section of Whiting, along the densely forested western side of Manchester, due to a $380,000 project by the U.S. Department of Defense. The project will build a five-mile long firebreak, or stretch of land cleared of vegetation, in the forest between ... READ MORE
Residents of the Whiting community in Manchester Township south of Joint-Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL) will receive added protection from the threat of wildfires because of new federal funding, said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04). The Department of Defense will provide funding to six projects in New Jersey (see list below) that promote la... READ MORE
New Jersey congressmen Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew today introduced legislation to significantly increase the annual cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for Social Security recipients after it was announced earlier this week by the Social Security Administration that the COLA effective December 2020 is going to be 1.3 percent. The Smith-Va... READ MORE
By Alex N. Gecan, Asbury Park Press If you run a small business in Middletown, the township may have $15,000 worth of good news for you. The township will begin awarding grants of up to $15,000 for businesses with up to 50 employees through the new Middletown Economic Relief Program, Mayor Tony Perry announced Thursday. The township has a... READ MORE
Ground has been broken for the construction of the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Village in Tinton Falls, a four-story building with apartments that will be available to veterans of the armed forces at a range of low and moderate income levels. The building will be run by the nonprofit organization Soldier On, according to a press release... READ MORE
by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) October 9, 2020 I am deeply concerned that since late September, Pastor Bob Fu, founder of the nonprofit ChinaAid, and his family have been the targets of outrageous slander, libel and intimidation by suspected members of the Chinese Communist Party, and their enablers, and are at grave risk of serious bodily ha... READ MORE