By Caroline Fassett | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com John K. “Jack” Rafferty, a one-time New Jersey state assemblyman but better known as the long-time mayor of Hamilton, Mercer County, died Wednesday at the age of 82. Rafferty dedicated roughly 30 years of his life to public service, serving six years on the then Hamilton Township Committee (now council) prior to being elected the municipality’s first full-time mayor from 1976 to 1999. From 1986 to 1988, he also represented the 14th Legislative D... Read more

By Rep. Chris Smith Jack Rafferty was an extraordinary leader—a visionary and doer of great deeds—especially for the people of Hamilton Township. He was smart, tenacious, selfless and had a sense of humor that always brought a smile to anyone he met. He was kind and caring—and had a great big heart. As the can-do mayor, Jack made Hamilton a great place to live and improved the quality of life for all. All Hamiltonians were his priority. I was privileged to work with Jack on many projects includi... Read more

A bipartisan bill that would prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labor in China was introduced today by Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, along with Chris Smith (R-NJ), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA). The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would create a “rebuttable presumpt... Read more

With an eye toward a post-COVID easing of restrictions and a return to economic normalcy, a group of bipartisan lawmakers are determined to establish timely and much-needed safety protections for Americans who will be using rideshare companies to help them get to work, school, appointments or social events. Authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) with lead Democrat cosponsor, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Sami’s Law will require transportation networking companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft to deploy a ver... Read more

By Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman It’s back to the drawing board for Sami’s Law. New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith has reintroduced legislation regulating the ride-share industry, because U.S. Senate members failed to pass a companion bill during the last session of Congress. “We must establish safety protocols and accountability in the system to protect rideshare customers who remain extremely vulnerable,” Smith, a Mercer County Republican, said Wednesday in a press statement. “As the nation looks to e... Read more

By Jean Mikle, APP Staff - Standing at the edge of a cliff at the top of a damaged dune about 15 feet above the beach, Mayor Bill Curtis had a dire prediction about what could happen if more strong storms hit a shoreline that's already badly eroded. "Two more storms like we had two weeks ago, and this will be gone," Curtis told Lt. Col. David Park, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District. "It is a safety issue. If a child were to get down on the beach, they wouldn't b... Read more

Legislation to end the “excruciating suffering and physical pain of unborn babies” from abortion at 20 weeks or older was introduced today by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and 142 Members of the House of Representatives. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, HR 1081, would bar most abortions after 20 weeks gestation. “We know that by twenty weeks unborn babies killed by abortion experience excruciating suffering and physical pain,” said Smith, co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. “T... Read more

Jean Mikle Asbury Park Press As the sea continues to carve into the storm-battered dunes on Bay Head's beach, Mayor Bill Curtis says he hopes an emergency permit to make repairs will soon be approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The borough plans to use one of its on-call contractors to lower the slope of eroded dunes that Curtis said have become increasingly dangerous since a strong nor'easter struck the Jersey Shore earlier this month. "Right now we have a very dangero... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith met on the dunes in Bay Head on Friday with officials from the Army Corp of Engineers, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and local leaders from Bay Head and Ocean County to address the 18 foot cliff that developed as a result of Winter Storm Orlena. Smith organized the meeting with Lt Col David Park, Commander of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Philadelphia Region and William Dixon, Director of the NJDEP Division of Coastal Engineering, after receiving an urge... Read more

The new 18-foot vertical sand dune cliffs in Bay Head caused by beach erosion from recent Winter Storm Orlena pose significant safety concerns—especially for children who are at grave risk of plunging over and suffering serious injury or death. Mayor Bill Curtis, Army Corps Commander Lt. Colonel Park, NJDEP’s Bill Dixon, Ocean County Commissioner Joe Vicari, Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano, and members of the Council met on the beach at the request of Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) who or... Read more