Language allowing houses of worship to receive vital federal disaster assistance was included in the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (HR 4460), which passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday by a voice vote. Read more

Next Wednesday, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House panel on global human rights, will be chairing a hearing entitled “Advancing Human Rights to Combat Extremism.” The hearing will explore the best strategies to counter violent extremism in the Islamic world, including by promoting religious freedom. Smith’s bill which was signed into law last year, the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (H.R. 1150), provided specific tools and resources for the State Department to imp... Read more

By Allison Bell at ThinkAdvisor - Coping with the effects of dementia on aging populations is a problem for in every country in the world. The House [Foreign Affairs Committee] global health subcommittee recognized the broad impact of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia Wednesday, by holding a hearing on the global fight against dementia. Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., the subcommittee chairman, said dementia now affects about 47 million people throughout the world, and that the num... Read more

Recent developments in the research of Alzheimer’s Disease have signaled that major medical breakthroughs could be coming, none too soon for this disease that is currently incurable and which poses a special burden to patients in developing countries who lack access to cutting-edge treatments, expert witness testified at a Congressional hearing on “A Global Update on Alzheimer’s Disease,” held today by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Chairman of the House global health subcommittee. PHOTO SLIDE SHOW ... Read more

In response to the sentencing of Taiwan democracy advocate Lee Ming-cheh to five years imprisonment for discussing human rights and democracy over social media and supporting human rights defenders in China, Congressman Chris Smith, Chair of the Global Human Rights Subcommittee and Cochair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued the following statement: “Tuesday’s sentencing is another reminder that the Chinese government will go to great lengths to curtail even private discuss... Read more

Millions of people worldwide have some form of dementia and suffer from a steady deterioration of memory and cognitive skills. Yet the vast majority of those with Alzheimer’s and related dementias have not received a diagnosis of their condition, and of those who have, many are unable to access the standard of care that they need. Earlier in 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a global plan to address Alzheimer’s and set targets for countries to meet to establish plans for Alzheim... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) today released the following statement on the horrific terror attack on a mosque in Egypt. “I mourn the devastating loss of life that resulted from the recent terrorist attack on a mosque in Egypt. This meticulously planned massacre targeted hundreds of innocents, including dozens of children, peacefully worshipping during Friday prayers. “The terrorists responsible for this atrocity hold in contempt the life and liberty of all Egyptians. The United States should s... Read more

In response to the verdict issued today by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on the trial of Ratko Mladic, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chair of the House global human rights subcommittee, said that the decision should serve as a notice that all perpetrators of war crimes and human rights abuses must brought to justice. Read more

By Jeff Edelstein, Trentonian Staff - It’s hard to believe it’s been 23 years since the death of Megan Kanka, the Hamilton 7-year-old who was raped and murdered by a twice-convicted sex offender. It is, without question, the most heinous and brutal crime in modern Mercer County history. It’s something no one who lives around here will ever forget. Of course, the tragedy eventually led to the creation of Megan’s Law, first here in New Jersey, and then across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The... Read more

By Kevin Shea, Senior Reporter for NJ.com - The effort to notify other countries about traveling sex offenders got more teeth recently when federal authorities started issuing passports to convicted pedophiles that identify their offender status. It's a component of the International Megan's Law, a federal law sponsored by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., and signed by President Obama in February of 2016. The bill was named for Megan Kanka, the 7-year-old Hamilton girl killed in 1994 by a con... Read more