A proposed law aimed at stopping human rights abuses in Vietnam—“The Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2012”—was approved by the House human rights panel that oversees international human rights at a hearing Wednesday chaired by U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). “The Vietnamese government continues to be an egregious violator of a broad array of human rights,” said Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who chairs its Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. ... Read more

Violence, potential humanitarian crisis and the post-2011 election aftermath in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were the topics of a congressional hearing Thursday held before the House panel that oversees international human rights and African issues that is chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). “Suspicion persists that this election was manipulated in favor of incumbent President Joseph Kabila,” stated Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman ... Read more

Three seperate grants for affordable housing inititatives in Trenton, Millstone and Brick, including homes for seniors and disabled residents, were awarded today by The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York using a program created by Congress in 1989. The FHLB-NY released the following announcement today: The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York announced today the awards of a $300,000 grant to the Rescue Mission of Trenton to help finance the Perry Street Supportive Permanent Housing project, which ... Read more

Human rights activists and victims of ongoing abuses at the hands of the Vietnamese Government testified before a House human rights panel hearing Tuesday chaired by U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). “The Vietnamese government continues to be an egregious violator of a broad array of human rights,” said Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Despite the State Department’s decision in 2006 to remove Vietnam from the list of Countries of Particular Concern as designate... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith today addressed the tens of thousands of citizens who gathered to “March for Life” in the nation’s capital 39 years after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortions. “Thank you for being an important part of the greatest human rights movement on earth—the selfless struggle by prayer, fasting and works to defend and protect all weak and vulnerable persons from the violence of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia,” said Smith, the co-chairman of the House Bipar... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) joined state, county and local officials at the official opening of the Miles of Smiles dental program offered to all Lakewood elementary school children. The program is a joint collaboration among the Center for Health, Education, Medicine, and Dentistry (CHEMED), the Ocean County Health Department (OCHD), and the Lakewood Board of Education, at CHEMED’s Madison Avenue facility in Lakewood. Each month, the Lakewood Board of Education provides busing to bring an e... Read more

The unexpected passing of New Jersey State Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce is a heartbreaking loss for the New Jersey State Assembly and the entire State of New Jersey, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), the Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation. “Assembly Leader DeCroce was an honest, ethical and dedicated public servant who loved our state deeply and worked tirelessly to make New Jersey a better place to live and raise a family,” Smith said. “His leadership will be missed in... Read more

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is deploying a Mobile Vet Center (MVC) to Lakewood to ensure that underserved New Jersey veterans and their families have better access to vital counseling, employment assistance and other services. “The decision to locate the MVC at the VA’s Vet Center just off Route 70 will allow more veterans and their families to participate in programs that can help with their transition to civilian life, such counseling and employment assistance,” said Congressm... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) took to the floor of the House of Representatives Monday to call for support of his “Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011,” expected to be brought to the floor today for a final vote. “I thank the distinguished chairwoman for yielding and join her first in mourning the passing of Vaclav Havel, the great President and human rights crusader, one of the founders of Charter 77, a magnificent human rights manifesto, that took the Helsinki final act and turned... Read more

The Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011, a bill to support people struggling for basic rights against Aleksandr Lukashenka—the man often called Europe’s last dictator—was given final approval late this afternoon by the U.S. House of Representatives. “The bill supports targeted sanctions,” said Smith, a senior member of the Committee and the Chairman of the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe, also called the Helsinki Commission. “This has been the worst political crackdo... Read more