Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced that the Center for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft has received a $16,000 grant from The Big Read, a program funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and designed to revitalize the role of reading in American culture. “As a longtime supporter and advocate on issues of human rights and trafficking of women, I am pleased that through this program the Center of Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide has ch... Read more

Assaults on the religious freedoms of people in China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran and other places around the globe—and U.S. efforts to address this abuse—were the focus of a congressional hearing Thursday afternoon chaired by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights issues. “The headlines are filled with examples of religious freedom violations,” Smith said. “A 27-year-old expectant mother, Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, is imprisoned and f... Read more

Today the House of Representatives passed the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act (HR 4031). U.S. Rep Chris Smith (R-Robbinsville, N.J.), who supported bill that passed by a 390-33 margin, issued the following statement: “As the former chairman of the House Veterans Affairs’ Committee, I firmly believe that there is no one in America today—either individually or collectively—who commands deeper respect, admiration and gratitude than our nation’s veterans. Having worked t... Read more

Children at risk to falling victim to roving convicted sexual predators seeking travel abroad would be made safer by legislation passed today by the House of Representatives. The International Megan’s Law,H.R. 4573, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), establishes a model framework for international law enforcement notifications when convicted child-sex offenders who pose a danger to children arrive in a destination country. “It is imperative that we take the lessons we have learned on how to p... Read more

The recent kidnapping of Nigerian school girls, demolition in China of a large house of worship, and the sentence of a Sudanese woman to hanging for not obeying a court calling on her to renounce her faith are only a handful of examples of assaults on the religious freedoms of people around the globe. U.S. efforts to address them will be the topic of a congressional hearing planned for Thursday, May 22 chaired by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that overs... Read more

BY HILL STAFF WRITER CRISTINA MARCOS -- Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) have introduced a measure to reauthorize federal autism research and support programs. The bill, H.R. 4631, would extend research grants, including at the National Institute of Health, and support services for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for five years. “This is a critical investment that is working to determine the cause of ASD, identify autistic children as early as possible to begin treat... Read more

The death sentence issued to a woman who refused to renounce Christianity for Islam in Sudan is an “egregious violation of basic human rights,” Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees U.S. policy in Africa, said today. “This is an affront to religious freedom everywhere,” Smith said. “The refusal of the government of Sudan to allow religious freedom was one of the reasons for Sudan’s long civil war. The U.S. and the rest of the international commu... Read more

May 13, 2014, 10:37 AM EDT / Updated May 14, 2014, 5:31 PM EDT A father who was shot point-blank in the face by Boko Haram recounted how the militants asked whether he was "prepared to die as a Christian" and then left him for dead. Habila Adamu, 40, was so badly wounded in the attack that he said goodbye to his wife as blood poured from a gaping wound. Habila Adamu in the hospital after he was attacked by Boko Haram militants in 2012, left, and giving evidence to a House Committee on Foreign A... Read more

A Service Academy Information Night will be held on Monday, May 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the lower level of the Wall Township Municipal Building, 2700 Allaire Road, Wall, N.J., announced Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) today. The event is for high school students (and their parents, counselors or educators) residing in the Fourth Congressional District who are interested in learning about competing for a nomination to one of the United States Service Academies. Each institution plays an inte... Read more

Last week, Chinese authorities arrested a group of well-known human rights activists for holding a private seminar in Beijing to Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. China still bans public discussions and censors all internet searches about the event, where hundreds, if not thousands, of students and ordinary citizens were killed in June 1989, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of its subcommittee on g... Read more