Human rights activists and victims of ongoing abuses at the hands of the Vietnamese Government testified before a House human rights panel hearing Tuesday chaired by U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). “The Vietnamese government continues to be an egregious violator of a broad array of human rights,” said Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Despite the State Department’s decision in 2006 to remove Vietnam from the list of Countries of Particular Concern as designate... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith today addressed the tens of thousands of citizens who gathered to “March for Life” in the nation’s capital 39 years after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortions. “Thank you for being an important part of the greatest human rights movement on earth—the selfless struggle by prayer, fasting and works to defend and protect all weak and vulnerable persons from the violence of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia,” said Smith, the co-chairman of the House Bipar... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) joined state, county and local officials at the official opening of the Miles of Smiles dental program offered to all Lakewood elementary school children. The program is a joint collaboration among the Center for Health, Education, Medicine, and Dentistry (CHEMED), the Ocean County Health Department (OCHD), and the Lakewood Board of Education, at CHEMED’s Madison Avenue facility in Lakewood. Each month, the Lakewood Board of Education provides busing to bring an e... Read more

The unexpected passing of New Jersey State Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce is a heartbreaking loss for the New Jersey State Assembly and the entire State of New Jersey, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), the Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation. “Assembly Leader DeCroce was an honest, ethical and dedicated public servant who loved our state deeply and worked tirelessly to make New Jersey a better place to live and raise a family,” Smith said. “His leadership will be missed in... Read more

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is deploying a Mobile Vet Center (MVC) to Lakewood to ensure that underserved New Jersey veterans and their families have better access to vital counseling, employment assistance and other services. “The decision to locate the MVC at the VA’s Vet Center just off Route 70 will allow more veterans and their families to participate in programs that can help with their transition to civilian life, such counseling and employment assistance,” said Congressm... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) took to the floor of the House of Representatives Monday to call for support of his “Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011,” expected to be brought to the floor today for a final vote. “I thank the distinguished chairwoman for yielding and join her first in mourning the passing of Vaclav Havel, the great President and human rights crusader, one of the founders of Charter 77, a magnificent human rights manifesto, that took the Helsinki final act and turned... Read more

The Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011, a bill to support people struggling for basic rights against Aleksandr Lukashenka—the man often called Europe’s last dictator—was given final approval late this afternoon by the U.S. House of Representatives. “The bill supports targeted sanctions,” said Smith, a senior member of the Committee and the Chairman of the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe, also called the Helsinki Commission. “This has been the worst political crackdo... Read more

Legislation authored by U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) responding to the Belarusan government’s crackdown on human rights that began with the fraudulent December 19, 2010 Belarusan election, is expected to be passed by the House of Representatives Tuesday. Since last year’s fraudulent election, the Belarusan government of Alexander Lukashenka, infamous for heading “Europe’s last dictatorship,” has stepped up its campaign of repression against human rights and democrat... Read more

A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday would stop the sale of surveillance technologies to repressive regimes by American companies. Sponsored by Representative Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, the measure would prohibit the export of hardware and software that can be used to block and track communications sent over the Internet. In addition, it would require companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges to report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission how ... Read more

The U.S. China Commission today heard witnesses from the Office of U.S. Trade Representative and other experts who testified before the commission’s hearing “Ten Years in the WTO: Has China Kept Its Promises?” chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04). “As a member of the WTO, China has experienced tremendous economic growth and integration into the global economy, but China continues to massively violate the basic human rights of its own people and systematically undermine the rule of law,” said Smit... Read more