Efforts to bring home American children abducted to overseas destinations and wrongfully held, will be the topic of a hearing held Thursday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees human rights. Testifying before the subcommittee will be Iraqi War veteran Marine Sgt. Mike Elias and other “left behind” parents of American children abducted to India, Japan, Egypt and Brazil (just a few of the thousands of U.S. kids held wrongfully overseas). The t... Read more

Following U.S.-Vietnamese talks last month and an April 10 Congressional hearing that centered on victims of human trafficking abuses, religious persecution and political repression at the hands of the Vietnamese government, a bipartisan bill was unveiled on Capitol Hill Wednesday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the House human rights subcommittee, along with Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and Rep. Alan Lowenthal, both of California. Excerpts of Congressman Smith's r... Read more

“The U.S. Department of Interior’s (DOI) release of nearly $475 million today will help assist in the recovery of national parks, wildlife refuges and historic places in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and across the state,” said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) whose congressional district includes hard-hit coastal areas in Monmouth and Ocean Counties along the Jersey Shore. “This specific funding through the Department of Interior will not only enable the restoration of public areas, facilities and roads... Read more

A hearing on efforts to help foster U.S.-African trade by increasing the export of American goods to the continent was held Tuesday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees Africa. The hearing, entitled “Increasing American Jobs through Greater Exports to Africa,” featured witnesses testifying before an open hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. Testifying were: Stephen Lande, ... Read more

By Christopher Robbins / NJ.com, May 1, 2013-- U.S. Rep. Chris Smith has been struggling for 15 years to increase the nation's awareness and improve scientists' understanding of Lyme Disease and other tick-bourne illnesses. But it remains an uphill battle. Smith (R-4th) used a Tuesday press conference to promote Lyme Disease Awareness Month and two bills in the U.S. House of Representatives – both of which would establish a blue-ribbon commission to study the crippling illness. “People suffering... Read more

Gearing up to renew the fight against Lyme disease, including prevention, research, diagnostics and treatments, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) joined the President of the Lyme Disease Association, a researcher from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and county and health officials to kick-off Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Smith, who founded and co-chaired the Lyme Disease Caucus in Congress, has introduced legislation to establish a federal Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee. ... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) noted with concern the findings of the 2013 Annual Report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which is required by Congress to evaluate religious freedom conditions and offer recommendations on protection of religious freedom in countries where abuses are severe. “This year’s report shows that, at the very least, the United States must do more to ensure that countries receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. assistance are ... Read more

One of the leading autism groups in the world will honor Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04)—the author of key enacted laws to combat autism and co-Chairman of the Congressional Coalition on Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.)—at a event tonight sponsored by Autism Speaks in the nation’s capital. “The toll of autism in terms of its impact on the life of a child and a family is tremendous,” said Smith, author of the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act, Public Law 112-32, signed into law in Sept... Read more

Yesterday Judge Ben Stephens ordered the British Government to disclose to the court documents related to the government’s decision to deny a promised public judicial inquiry into government collusion in the 1989 murder in Northern Ireland of human rights attorney Patrick Finucane. In response to the order, the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs and the Congressional Friends of Ireland release the following statement: “Judge Stephens’ order yesterday demonstrates that the British go... Read more

Congress and the U.S. administration should act to prevent dictators from using U.S. technology for surveillance, tracking and repression of human rights and pro-democracy leaders, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing today. Smith is the author of the Global Online Freedom Act of 2013 (GOFA) H.R. 491 that addresses this fundamental threat to democracy activists in repressive countries by ensuring greater corporate accountability and greater scrutiny of ... Read more