Chris Smith

Rep. Smith and Kevin McHugh, CEO of the Atlantic Club in Wall Township, discuss the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the health and fitness center. On Oct. 23, Smith announced he would cosponsor a bipartisan bill, The Health and Fitness Recovery Act of 2020, which would create a $30 billion recovery fund for gyms and health clubs, many of which are small businesses with an average of seven workers in an industry estimated to have employed over 700,000 in 2019. Many fitness centers face closure or bankruptcy unless Congress either authorizes a second round of PPP loans or passes HR 8485.

Press Release

Smith co-sponsors bipartisan bill to help struggling health & fitness industry
October 23, 2020

Health and fitness centers trying to survive the COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated their industry could qualify for federal grants under HR 8485, ... More

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Asbury Park Press article on Smith announcement'Whiting, Joint Base to be protected from wildfires by five-mile firebreak'
October 22, 2020

By 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 the Roosevelt City neighborhood and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith R-N.J., whose Fourth Congressional District includes Manchester... More

Press Release

6 NJ sites to get $1.9M in DoD funds for conservation work near basesFirebreak near Jt. Base MDL would protect Whiting from wildfires; Other projects at Earle, Warren Grove
October 20, 2020
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 land conservation near military sites, including $380,000 for a firebreak project to be built near the Roosevelt City section of Whiting. The firebreak will simul... More

Press Release

Smith, Van Drew introduce bill to raise 2020, 2021 COLACOVID-19 Emergency Social Security Cost-of-Living-Adjustment Increase Act
October 16, 2020
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-Van Drew proposal would increase the 2020 COLA to 3 percent in 2020, and no less than 3 percent more in 2021. With the average Social Security payment to individu... More

Article

Asbury Park Press article/video'Middletown mayor, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith announce CARES Act funding for small businesses'
October 16, 2020

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 approximately $400,000 in grants, obtained through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to distribute to local businesses impacted by ... More

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