July 19, 2006MR. SMITH of New Jersey: Mr. Speaker, never in my 26 years as a Member of Congress have I seen so much hyperbole, misinformation and misattribution of success as in the embryonic stem cell debate. Despite recent revelations of massive fraud by prominent stem cell researchers in South Korea, despite the fact that there hasn't been anything even close to success of any kind in treating any human being anywhere in the world with embryonic stem cells, despite all of this and so much mor... Read more

As reports show that cases of Lyme Disease have skyrocketed in New Jersey and other parts of the northeast, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) convened a Lyme summit, meeting with Julie Gerberding, national director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other lawmakers, doctors and activists to discuss ways patient and physician needs could be better met. Read more

“President Bush’s declaration of a ‘major disaster’ for our area ensures that New Jersey citizens will receive critical federal funds and other assistance we need to rebuild and recover from the torrential flooding that we experienced last week. It also means that State government and certain private nonprofit organizations will receive reimbursements for emergency work and assistance they provided in response to the devastation,” said Rep. Chris Smith, dean of the New Jersey delegation who represents parts of Mercer County which was hit hard by the storm. Read more

Safe blood for millions of sick and injured patients in Africa is becoming increasingly available — but still denied to millions — on the subcontinent, according to Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) who chaired a hearing this week that probed this often ignored and crucial issue. Read more

As the World Cup soccer championship advances to the quarterfinal round this week, a powerful congressional committee in Washington took a decisive step of its own and approved legislation urging the Government of Germany, host of the games, to do more to combat sexual trafficking of women in connection with the influx of athletes and fans in Germany for the soccer tournament. Read more

A comprehensive bill authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to promote human rights and democracy in Ethiopia was approved today by the International Relations Committee. Read more

A bill to combat Internet abuse of democracy advocates and religious believers by repressive regimes cleared its first major hurdle to becoming law late this week when it was passed unanimously by a House foreign policy panel that oversees human rights. Read more

For the second time in just over a week, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) convened a hearing on U.S. and global efforts to combat human trafficking. Smith, Chairman of House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, teamed with Rep. John McHugh (R-NY), Chairman of House Subcommittee on Military Personnel, in a rare joint hearing to examine trafficking of women in areas where U.S. military is stationed. “Our need to examine this problem of human trafficking in the... Read more

At a comprehensive briefing with Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) federal officials provided a timely progress report on the on-going investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) handling of asbestos contamination and cleanup at the W.R. Grace & Co./Zonolite plant in Hamilton, New Jersey and at least 10 other sites around the country. They also said additional information is being sought from Hamilton Township officials to complete the report. Read more

Military families touched by autism spectrum disorders could for the first time benefit from a new $7.5 million autism research program created in the 2007 defense appropriations bill (HR 5631) expected to pass the House today. Read more