Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, celebrates his 50th birthday tomorrow. 

    Born March 4, 1953 in Rahway, New Jersey, the birthday milestone means Smith has spent half his life in public service.  Smith ran for Congress in 1978 at the age of twenty-five having served as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Right to Life Committee.  While he lost that election, Smith stayed with politics, redoubled his efforts, and won election to Congress two years later in 1980. 

    With 23 years of Congressional experience, Smith is the Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation and the only full committee chairman from the state.  Smith also serves as Vice Chairman of the International Relations Committee and as Chairman of the United States Helsinki Commission, which focuses on developing and fostering human rights, democracy, and stability in Central and Eastern Europe. 

    “When you give it your all, this job keeps you young,” Smith said.  “No matter how hard you work, how much is accomplished; there is more work to do.  It is the pending challenges, the great need, and the opportunity to serve that keeps me motivated and burning on all cylinders.”  

    As Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Smith has written several new laws including historic legislation to fight homelessness among veterans and legislation that provided a record 46 percent increase in the GI Bill to make college education more affordable.  

    Another landmark law authored by Smith is the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, the nation’s first comprehensive law to address trafficking in women and children.  He also wrote the Embassy Security Act, a law that recognized the threat of global terrorism years before the attacks of September 11th and authorized the investment of billions of dollars to better fortify U.S. Embassies. 

    Smith is also active in several important healthcare issues.  A champion of increased funding for life-enhancing and life affirming research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Smith co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Alzheimer’s Task Force and Coalition for Autism Research and Education, each of which has more than 150 members.  Smith is also the Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Pro Life Caucus.  

    In addition to his work writing laws, Smith has consistently fought for projects to improve life for the residents of the 4th District.  Throughout his tenure in Congress, Smith has established a constituent outreach program that is second to none, helping over 100,000 constituents with individual casework problems.  He has also secured hundreds of millions of dollars for various district projects including: the Hamilton Train Station; the Trenton Train Station; several local senior citizen centers; vital military construction projects at Navy Lakehurst; beach replenishment projects, and veterans’ clinics in Brick, Trenton, and Fort Monmouth.  

    Smith will spend his 50th birthday hard at work in Congress during the day and a celebratory dinner with his wife Marie and his family in the evening.