Before leaving town on Thursday, the Senate passed Kevin and Avonte’s Law, legislation aimed at protecting children with autism and seniors with Alzheimer’s who are prone to engaging in wandering behavior, which tragically can have fatal consequences. “I’m pleased that the Senate has passed Kevin and Avonte’s Law. This is a step forward in the effort to keep seniors with Alzheimer’s and children with autism safe. I’ll continue to fight for passage of this legislation in the House to ensure this ... Read more

In its 2016 report, mandated by the “Sean and David Goldman Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act,” the U.S. State Department does a better job at identifying countries that fail to meet obligations under an international child abduction treaty, but the agency falls short in properly listing every country that should be condemned for its “pattern of non-compliance,” a key designation and first step towards sanctions. At a hearing today on Capitol Hill, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of t... Read more

The House Foreign Affairs Committee today approved two important resolutions introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04)–one to help prevent a constitutional crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (H. Res. 780) and the other to forestall deterioration in next month’s presidential election in Gabon (H. Res. 821). DRC Elections in DRC are scheduled to be held in November of this year, but it is becoming increasingly unlikely that the elections can be held on time. According to the DRC constitut... Read more

Today Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Equity for Disaster Victims Act to provide relief to victims of Superstorm Sandy and reform the federal government’s disaster relief programs to ensure fairness and flexibility. “Following Sandy, victims acted in good faith to jumpstart the recovery process and begin rebuilding with SBA loans,” said Smith, who represents hard-hit Monmouth and Ocean Counties. “Those who accepted SBA loans have since found... Read more

The damage done by President Obama’s single-minded focus on his legacy—at the expense of the Cuban people—was examined this afternoon by those who have lived through it at a hearing entitled “The Castro Regime’s Ongoing Violations of Civil and Political Rights.” Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee tasked with addressing human rights, blasted the “deplorable and deteriorating” prospects for civil and political rights on the island. “Disregard for civil and... Read more

Today, on an overwhelming and bipartisan basis, the House passed the Conscience Protection Act of 2016 (S. 304). This bill seeks to end discrimination against people, plans and providers who choose not to be involved in abortion. A full explanation of the bill can be found in Smith’s statement. (click here) Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus said on the passage: “The Obama Administration’s refusal to enforce the civil right of conscience is not onl... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chair of the Bipartisan Pro-Life Caucus, spoke on the House floor in support of the Conscience Protection Act. The following is excerpts of his remarks: I thank my good friend, Mrs. Foxx for yielding and thank her for her extraordinary Pro-life leadership. Madam Speaker, in an unconscionable abuse of power, for almost 2 years, the State of California has forced all insurance plans under its purview and the people in institutions that pay the premiums—to subsidize abo... Read more

The continued use of political factors in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report shows that the mistakes of 2015 were repeated by Obama Administration again this year. At a hearing today, featuring testimony from the State Department Ambassador who focuses on Human Trafficking, a congressional panel looked at the credibility of the report overall as well as the specifics of several countries, including China, Cuba, and Malaysia. “Plain and simple, the 2016 TIP report again failed many victims,”... Read more

A multi-year effort by Members of Congress, led by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) and advocacy organizations, to provide Medicare coverage for a care planning session for patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, is garnering more support and making some progress as last week the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed regulations providing this coverage for beneficiaries–for 2017. Smith, author of the “Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act,” which cr... Read more

Statement from Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive China Commission on the UNCLOS Decision: “Unfortunately, I don’t think this decision will modify China’s present course of action, and may even lead to escalated hostilities, depending on Beijing’s strategic calculations. We all want China to accept the Permanent Court of Arbitration decision, as it is a party to the Law of the Sea treaty, but that is wishful thinking at this point. I fear Beijing may decide more... Read more