(Agence France -Presse) Congress gave its final approval Friday to legislation that compels US authorities to assist American mothers and fathers whose children are victims of international parental abductions. More than 1,000 international child abductions each year are reported to the State Department, with children often taken illegally from the United States by a foreign parent to countries like Brazil, England, India, Japan and Russia. Most of them are not returned. By simple voice vote, th... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the congressional panel on Africa and global human rights, today celebrated the release and freedom of the Sudanese woman imprisoned and sentenced to death in Sudan for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Yesterday, Smith held a hearing as part of a series of ongoing efforts to highlight the plight of Mariam Ibrahim and give new impetus to her stalled departure from Sudan. Meriam Ibrahim, her husband Daniel Wani, and their two children were detained in Sudan ... Read more

A congressional panel charged with examining global health issues today reviewed expert testimony about the increase in prevalence of autism and the urgent need for new strategies to help people with autism reach their full potential. “The global incidence of autism is steadily increasing and is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups,” said committee chairman Chris Smith (NJ-04) who has authored several pieces of landmark autism legislation and is the cofounding chairm... Read more

The Sudanese woman recently sentenced to death for not recanting her faith was the topic of a congressional hearing Wednesday, July 23 held by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights issues. “The world watched as Meriam Ibrahim Ishag, a pregnant Christian woman in Sudan, faced flogging and the death penalty because her government would not accept that she had lived her life as a Christian and married a Christian man,” Smith said.... Read more

The fight against the epidemic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how governments can help individuals with autism function in society, especially in educational and workplace settings, will be the topic of a hearing to be held by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) Thursday. “The Global Challenge of Autism” is the title of the hearing of the House global health subcommittee. “Autism is a growing health problem around the world,” said Chairman Smith. “With the ever-rising cost of care, it is imp... Read more

On Wednesday, July 16, exactly five years to the day that Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) introduced his first bill to prevent international parental child abduction, the U.S. Senate finally approved Smith’s legislation, The Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act, House of Representatives Bill 3212 (H.R. 3212). Smith wrote the original proposed legislation in 2009 subsequent to his personal intervention in the fight to bring Sean Goldman home to New Jersey, years... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), dean of the New Jersey congressional delegation, released the following statement on the passing of former New Jersey Congressman Bob Roe Tuesday: “Bob Roe was an extraordinarily effective lawmaker, always fair, tenacious, focused—a true workhorse for the people,” said Smith. “As chairman of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, he made enduring contributions to the infrastructure of not only New Jersey but the rest of the nation as well. I will miss him... Read more

The fate of Africa's children with no parents and a bleak future was the topic of a House hearing held today by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the Africa and global human rights subcommittee. The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, adoptive parents and advocacy groups testified on options to ease the crisis, including international adoptions. The hearing was entitled “The Growing Crisis of Africa's Orphans.” The factors contributing to the crisis ... Read more

Helping the Nigerian government in its fight against the notorious terror group called Boko Haram was the topic of a House hearing held Thursdayby U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the Africa and global human rights subcommittee. “Boko Haram has significantly accelerated its acts of mass murder and abduction in Nigeria, requiring a more robust and effective response from the Government of Nigeria and friends like the United States,” said Smith, who has traveled to Nigeria twice in the p... Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee today managed debate of H.R. 4653, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act. Smith gave the following statement on the House floor: "Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4653, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2014, as amended, authored by Chairman Frank Wolf of Virginia. "H.R. 4653 demonstrates th... Read more