The House of Representatives is expected today to pass the 21st Century Cures Act, bipartisan legislation negotiated with the Senate to reform and streamline the federal research and treatment approval process, incentivize the development of live-saving cures, and bring many other needed improvements to the delivery of health care in the US. Among its many specific provisions, the bill includes significant reforms to our fractured mental health systems, and major provisions to help patients with... Read more

By Carol Comegno, Courier-Post Staff Writer - Hundreds of civilian employees will be getting a holiday present—an automatic raise in their pay scales to bring them in line with the higher federal scale of the New York region. The shift to a higher compensation scale will benefit 600 federal Civil Service workers on the Army and Air Force sections of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County on what used to be Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base. It will bring them to parity with... Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today announced the winners of the Fourth Congressional District’s 2016 Congressional App Challenge (CAC), a competition for U.S. students across the nation. “The App Challenge encourages school students to become active in STEM fields, computer science and programming by creating and exhibiting their software applications,” said Smith. “This challenge is an important step to inspire creativity, career skills and teamwork, which can help participating students to be... Read more

Rep. Smith (NJ-04), an advocate for the prevention of Lyme disease for more than two decades, took to the House floor in support of 21st Century Cures Act today with the following statement: I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his extraordinary leadership on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, in 1992, 24 years ago, I met—along with a great advocate, Pat Smith—with top officials of NIH and CDC on Federal guidelines that precluded the existence of chronic Lyme disease. Subsequently, every Congr... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and Tom MacArthur (NJ-03) announced today that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will issue final regulations tomorrow (Nov. 30) that will move all Federal Wage System (FWS) employees at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL) into the New York locality pay area. Roughly 600 employees located on the former McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix will see their pay increased as a result of tomorrow’s final decision. “OPM’s announcement is a big win for Jo... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today that the Gold Star Families Voices Act (HR 4511)—which expands the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project (VHP) to include family members of veterans who died as a result of their service or who are missing in action—has been signed into law. Smith’s legislation was approved by a unanimous voice vote in the House on September 6, 2016 and by a unanimous 97-0 vote in the Senate on November 15th. “The new law honors the men and women who gave ‘the las... Read more

By DAVID LEVINSKY, BCT STAFF WRITER - Hundreds of civilian workers on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst can expect a boost in pay before the end of the year thanks to the impending correction of a long-standing pay disparity issue. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management plans to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register this week to designate the entire joint base in the higher-paying New York wage area, rather than split between New York and the lower-paying Philadelphia wage area, accord... Read more

By Jonathan Salant of the Star Ledger/NJ.com - The Library of Congress' veterans history project will include stories from Gold Star families under legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama. Under the measure sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.), the Library of Congress, which now collects interviews with veterans, also would seek stories of from family members of those killed or missing in action while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. "The new law honors the men and women wh... Read more

As the United States, and the world, review the brutal legacy of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said that with honest negotiations the past need not be prologue with the Communist regime, now headed by Raúl Castro, so long as we all remain mindful of history when assessing future relations with the island nation. Smith noted that there will no doubt be those counseling the incoming President to continue the Obama Administration’s policy of concessions to the Castro brother... Read more

By Alex Napoliello of the Star Ledger/NJ.com Nov. 27, 2016 - When the 73-acre Wreck Pond overflows, a decades-long problem, its surge prompts frequent beach closures and carries devastating impacts to the coastal environment and nearby homes. With the completion of a concrete culvert that is part of Gov. Chris Christie administration's $7.4 million lake restoration project, officials are a step closer to improving the health of the pond and the surrounding community. Nearly 16 months after the l... Read more