U.S. Rep Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House International Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations and Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Commission), called today for improved enforcement and reauthorization of the Torture Victims Relief Act (TVRA) of 1998. In a hearing before the Subcommittee, Chairman Smith said that the law had marked a watershed in human rights legislation, but that expanded implementation was urgently needed. Read more

The Committee will come to order. Today we are meeting to examine the government of Vietnam’s respect for human rights and religious freedom. Read more

With a commanding, overwhelming bipartisan vote of 192-233, the House of Representatives today soundly rejected a bid to subsidize the United Nation's Population Fund, which has refused to divest itself from coercive population and forced abortion programs in China. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, has called on Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to call off security forces, who by Wednesday evening had killed scores of peaceful protesters, wounded at least 100 others and jailed more than 400 Ethiopians protesting the results of the recent elections in that East African nation. Read more

The House International Relations Committee today finished its mark-up of major legislation to provide nearly $10 billion for State Department programs and other American diplomacy initiatives for each of the next two years. Read more

The House International Relations Committee began work today on major legislation to provide nearly $10 billion for State Department programs and other foreign policy initiatives for each of the next two years. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton), the author of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, released the following statement regarding the success and positive impact of the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released today for the fifth year. The report was mandated by Smith’s first trafficking bill, signed in October 2000 (Public Law 106-386): Read more

The House of Representatives today overwhelmingly adopted legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to establish, for the first time ever, a nationwide cord blood stem cell transplantation system. Read more

Landmark legislation creating a new federally-funded stem cell therapeutic and research program for the scientifically sound collection and inventory of umbilical cord blood will be on the floor of the House of Representatives the week of May 23rd, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said today. The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act creates a new federal cord blood stem cell program, reauthorizes and expands the current federal bone marrow stem cell program, and establishes a new federally-funded data ... Read more

Citing the 1995 DOD decision to close Navy Lakehurst and four other rounds of BRAC over the last fifteen years, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton), called today’s BRAC announcement “another big win” for Navy Lakehurst and Ocean County. Read more