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

By MARK ROSMAN, Managing Editor - The U.S. Navy has abandoned a plan that would have permitted civilians to live in housing on Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced that after nearly a year of negotiations with high-ranking officials of the Navy, the Pentagon has cancelled plans to open housing on NWS Earle to non-military personnel. The Navy's plan to permit civilians to live in rental housing on an active base drew sharp criticism from municip... Read more

BY DAN RADEL APP Staff Writer - The Pentagon has officially canceled plans to open housing to the general public at Naval Weapons Station Earle, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., announced Tuesday. Smith said the decision alleviates "local concerns about security and the proper vetting of nonmilitary renters who would be exempt from paying property taxes." The issue surfaced in January because about 30 percent of the 89 residences managed by Balfour Beatty Northeast Housing on the base was empty. C... Read more

It’s taken nearly two decades of pushing for federal dollars and working with state entities, but construction to widen and reconstruct Monmouth County’s busiest, most trafficked intersection will soon start. Over 37,000 cars travel through the CR-537 and Route 34 intersection every day in the heart of Colts Neck. The large-scale project starting on Oct. 23 will continue until its anticipated completion date of December 2019. “This makes a tremendous improvement in Monmouth County,” state Sen. ... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith was a guest today on New Jersey 101.5 FM during the morning drive with host Bill Spadea to discuss the fight to end Alzheimer's Disease, including the 2017 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer's held in this weekend in Monmouth County in Smith's congressional district. To listen to Bill Spadea interview Smith click here. (Try using web browsers Google Chrome or Firefox if sound track does not play in Explorer). Rep. Smith is the founder and Chairman of the Bipart... Read more

Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey has joined a congressional bipartisan call urging President Donald Trump to do more to help hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. “The people of Puerto Rico are suffering from the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Maria and need comprehensive humanitarian aid and federal support,” Smith said Friday in a press statement. “In addition to food, water and medical assistance, communication system restoration and infrastructure rebuilding are critical parts of th... Read more

By Alex Napoliello of NJ.com - Law enforcement officials in one of the New Jersey counties hardest hit by the opioid epidemic will now have access to funding and intelligence from state and federal agencies, including the DEA, to fight drug trafficking. Ocean County was among 16 other counties across 13 states to enter the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, also known as HIDTA. The program was created by Congress in 1988 to provide assistance to federal, state, county and local law e... Read more

By COAST STAR GROUP STAFF U.S. Rep. Chris Smith joined Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, The Adjutant General, New Jersey National Guard on Thursday in cutting the ribbon at the New Jersey Army National Guard’s Regional Training Institute. The $32.1million, 86,000 square-foot facility includes an administration and classroom building with 10 classrooms and a library, an auditorium with seating for 225 personnel and a student housing building. The new facility will provide soldiers the necessary cla... Read more

August 22, 2017 - REP. CHRIS SMITH (R-Dist. 4) recently authored an amendment to enhance international efforts to combat anti-Semitism that was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA). The amendment codified a working definition of anti-Semitism. “Attacks on Jewish communities have been rising in many OSCE countries, including the U.S…. A common definition of anti-Semitism will help identify, prevent, and defeat these threats. It... Read more