The following is a statement by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on the extradition of Judge Neringa Venckiene: “I strongly object to the extradition notice issued last week against Lithuanian anti-human trafficking and anti-corruption hero, Judge Neringa Venckiene,” said Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) after the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal on her challenge to an extradition request from the Lithuanian government. “She exposed a trafficking ring involving government officials in Lithuani... Read more

Today, October 21, 2019, the Problem Solvers Caucus praised the passage of H.R. 724, the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act of 2019, which utilized the new House “Consensus Calendar” to help get a debate and vote on the House floor. This legislation creates a federal animal cruelty statute prohibiting the most heinous acts of abuse which can occur beyond the reach of state cruelty laws. The initiative received priority consideration on the House floor by having more than 290 bipart... Read more

By David Wildstein, NJ Globe - Uber and Lyft were no-shows at a congressional hearing today on legislation sponsored by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton) to protect ride-share users from sexual assault and other crimes Smith’s bill comes seven months after Sami Josephson, a Robbinsville resident, was murdered by a predator pretending to be an Uber driver. The parents of the woman, Seymour and Marci Josephson, worked with Smith to create “Sami’s Law,” which would push for all states to have fro... Read more

Fox 5 New York, also known as WNYW TV, aired its an installment in its “Lyme and Reason” series in October. “Lyme Disease and the Power of Innovation,” looks at hopeful developments in the realm of Lyme disease. There are interviews with patients, advocates, authors, policy makers and politicians. Congressman Chris Smith was interviewed about his work on investigating the possible origins of Lyme disease as a military weapon research program. Click below to watch. Smith's interview is at approxi... Read more

Bipartisan legislation named in honor of Samantha “Sami” Josephson—a senior at the University of South Carolina who was kidnapped and brutally murdered earlier this year by a predator pretending to be her Uber driver—was taken up Wednesday by the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit hearing entitled “Examining the Future of Transportation Network Companies: Challenges and Opportunities.” Sami’s Law, which would establish needed protections for ride-share customers across the country, is au... Read more

By Dan Alexander, 101.5 Staff - Sami’s Law — a bill named after a Robbinsville student police say was killed by a man she mistook for her Uber driver — could nationalize protections that ride-share users in New Jersey already have under state law. Columbia, South Carolina police said Samantha Josephson got into a black Chevrolet Impala on March 29 after leaving the Bird Dog bar in the city's Five Points area. The body of the USC senior was found several hours later off a country road 65 miles a... Read more

The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), prime sponsor of H.R. 3289—the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, during Floor Debate in the U.S. of Representatives on October 15, 2019: Since the 1989 Tiananmen massacre thirty years ago, I’ve had the privilege of working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle—including Speaker Pelosi—on human rights, the rule of law and democracy for the people of China. We have always believed that every person in China dese... Read more

Bipartisan legislation named to honor Samantha “Sami” Josephson—a senior at the University of South Carolina from Robbinsville, N.J. who was kidnapped and brutally murdered by a man pretending to be her Uber driver earlier this year—will be taken up Wednesday by the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit at a hearing entitled “Examining the Future of Transportation Network Companies: Challenges and Opportunities.” Sami’s Law, which would establish needed protections for ride-share customers ... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) today announced a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) to boost county programs that provide treatment, recovery support systems and relapse prevention for opioid addicts already in the corrections system. Smith praised Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden and the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders Director Thomas A. Arnone for submitting a solid proposal and winning the federal funds in a competitive grant program. The County was awarded ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the congressional Lyme Disease Caucus, today welcomed the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) announcement of a new, expansive research strategy to combat Lyme disease. Priorities in the NIH multipart plan include: expanding knowledge of tickborne diseases; developing rapid diagnostic testing; identifying treatment success and human biomarkers of persistent symptoms; developing new treatments; and evaluating prevention approaches such as vaccines. “After l... Read more