Press releases
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222 rows where party = "Republican", state = "NJ" and year = 2013 sorted by date descending
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| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=365154 | <span class="kicker">Washington Post editorial</span>'In international abduction cases, quiet diplomacy is not working' | 2013-12-30 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | SEAN GOLDMAN was 4 years old when his Brazilian-born mother took him from their New Jersey home for what Sean’s father, David Goldman, thought would be a two-week vacation. Five years passed before the father again laid eyes on his son. “It was very painful,’’ David Goldman recalled. “The first time I saw him after nearly five years, he looked at me and asked me where have I been all this time. . . . He was told that I didn’t love him, that I abandoned him, that I never wanted him.” The only unusual feature of this story is that David Goldman eventually regained custody, though even after the boy’s mother died in 2008 her Brazilian family continued to resist his efforts. He succeeded in part because Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) relentlessly focused attention and pressure on the case. Now a bill written by Mr. Smith, the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act, has been approved by the House, 398 to 0, and is set for consideration in the Senate. But the State Department doesn’t want the additional diplomatic tools the bill would provide. According to State, 1,144 children were reported abducted from the United States in 2012. There were 1,367 in 2011 and 1,492 in 2010. State Department officials say they work hard to get those children back — or at least to get the cases fairly adjudicated — but they can’t or won’t say how many of those abducted children remain overseas. That raises questions about their claims for success for “quiet diplomacy.” In a letter to Mr. Smith, Robert E. Wallace, executive director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), said the abduction of children by a separated spouse is a particular problem for service members, especially in Japan. Mr. Wallace said the service members’ appeals for help “are too often met with bad legal advice, misinformation or indifference. . . . It is time for the U.S. government to take concrete action.” An organization of victimized parents said that the result of quiet diplomacy is “that the Gov… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222035637/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-applauds-faa-selection-new-jersey-virginia-partnership-national-test-site | LoBiondo Applauds FAA Selection of New Jersey-Virginia Partnership for National Test Site of Unmanned Aircraft Systems | 2013-12-30 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | MAYS LANDING, N.J. – U.S. Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02), Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, today applauded the announcement by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the joint application by the states of New Jersey and Virginia has been selected as one of the six national test sites for integrating commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace. LoBiondo, working closely with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, led the New Jersey’s Congressional efforts to secure the designation. “Today’s announcement is a GREAT way to kick off the New Year, promising significant economic opportunities in the aviation field particularly for South Jersey,” lauded LoBiondo, chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee. “A years-long effort has been spent on putting forth the strongest application - including forming a solid working partnership with Virginia - to ensure the FAA recognized our existing assets for this project. I appreciate Governor Christie’s unwavering support throughout the process as well as the efforts of my Congressional colleagues and those working on the ground in South Jersey on our proposal.” The states’ joint application was put forth by Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) and Rutgers University with support from the Governors of New Jersey and Virginia. The other 5 test sites selected by the FAA are in: Alaska-Hawaii-Oregon; Nevada; North Dakota; Texas; and New York. UAS test sites will operate until February 2017 with the first site being operational within 180 days of today’s announcement. There is no federal funding from the FAA for any test site. The William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center will be the lead facilitator of data collected from each of the six test sites, working to safely integrate UAS into the national airspace as mandated by the 2012 FAA Authorization Act – a provision LoBiondo advocated for inclusion during the bill’s drafting and debate. While each test site will have specific regulations to protect the privacy of surrounding… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=365091 | <span class="kicker">Trentonian Page 1</span>'Plainsboro mother seeks help from Congress to bring her kidnapped sons home' | 2013-12-24 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | By Sherrina Navani, The Trentonian - All Bindu Philips wants for Christmas are her two young sons back, and thanks to a new bill passed by the House of Representatives, she may be closer than ever to getting her wish granted. Members of the House voted unanimously, in early December, to pass a bill to help bring home American children abducted to overseas destinations. The legislation, dubbed, the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013, will help left behind parents of American children abducted to India, Japan, Egypt, India, Brazil, Russia, England and other countries where most are forced to live overseas and never return, according to Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) — the author of the legislation and chairman of the House congressional panel which oversees human rights. Not all countries have signed The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, the standing international treaty which addresses parental abductions via the justice system. The treaty provides for the quick return of abducted children, and access rights to both parents. Sadly, even Hague signatories, like Brazil, often don’t enforce its provisions. “What we are asking the State Department to do with this bill, is to start accounting for all the children who have been abducted to other countries,” said Jeff Sagnip, District Director for Smith, noting the State Department would be required to issue an annual report. “If this bill is passed, it cannot force abducting parents who have already taken their children to other countries, to bring them back, however it will start taking account of the thousands of U.S. children who are taken and held overseas. Also, local congressional leaders will become aware of all the children who are being kidnapped from their districts; it will help keep our government’s attention on the cases and work to bring them home.” The Plainsboro township mother, Philips, has not seen her five-year-old twin sons, Albert Philip Jacob and Alfred Willia… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=365088 | South Sudan Fighting Endangers Many | 2013-12-23 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The expanding fighting in the Republic of South Sudan has killed more than 500 people in recent days and injured four U.S. military personnel who were evacuating Americans and other foreigners from the country. The conflict endangers not only citizens of that country but threatens to negatively impact the country’s neighbors and the international community, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. “Already more than 500 people are reported dead,” said Smith. “More could be killed or injured, and not only in South Sudan—the conflict may spread, threatening people in neighboring countries. The escalating fighting in South Sudan could likely lead to more terrorist activities in an already-volatile region. The Administration’s call for a Christmas season cease-fire must be augmented by intense diplomacy with both sides.” South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, borders countries already troubled with terrorist activity by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and various Islamic radical and other militia groups in the Central African Republic, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Analysts fear that a South Sudan distracted and divided by civil war would provide an easier operating ground for terrorist groups. The LRA terrorist group, notorious for kidnapping children and forcing them to serve as child soldiers, still operates in the region and poses a danger to the lives of civilians in all four countries. Meanwhile, Islamic radicals have infiltrated countries in the region, most notably Somalia, but also Ethiopia and even Uganda. An unstable South Sudan will only further empower them by providing the kind of chaos in which the radicals thrive. The entire Sahel region of north-central Africa has been targeted, with Mali having been torn apart by their violent activities and nations such as Niger, Chad and Central African Republic continuing to be adversely affected by their militant and terr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=788 | Frelinghuysen: Protecting our Emergency Responders | 2013-12-20 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | Frelinghuysen Priority: Protecting our Emergency Responders Washignton, D.C. – With thousands of volunteer fire departments, first aid squads and emergency medical technicians (EMT) across the nation facing one of the unintended effects of the Affordable Care Act, the new healthcare law, U.S. Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) has written to the new head of the Internal Revenue Service on their behalf. Due to the law’s requirements, fire departments and emergency squads must provide health insurance for volunteers working more than 30 hours a week. The current law stipulates that the ‘employer mandate’ must apply to organizations that have at least 50 employees, which can include multiple fire houses within one community. In December, Frelinghuysen wrote to Acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Danny Wurfel, “I am deeply concerned that subjecting fire departments and municipalities to this provision will result in services being reduced or eliminated.” He followed up today with a letter to the new Commissioner of the IRS, John Koskinen. “The vast majority of volunteers I speak with do not expect to receive health insurance from their departments. Volunteer firefighters and EMS responders do not see their work as a career or a part-time job – it’s a call to serve the community,” Rodney said. “And I know that volunteer fire and EMS departments operate on a shoe-string budget and they and their municipalities won’t have the resources to pay for health insurance for their personnel. Without this new bureaucratic burden, most groups already have difficulty making ends meet.” Rodney has cosponsored legislation that would exempt volunteer fire departments fire aid squads and emergency medical technicians (EMT) from providing health insurance to volunteers. However, until the bill is passed, fire chiefs and municipal leaders must wait to see how the situation will be resolved. Volunteers are vital in ensuring fire safety in New Jersey and across the nation. The National Volunteer… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364831 | <span class="kicker">Asbury Park Press page one</span>Sean and David Goldman abduction bill could be approved this week | 2013-12-18 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | By Susanne Cervenka, Asbury Park Press staff -- It could be another Christmas surprise for David Goldman, the former Tinton Falls man whose son, Sean, was returned to him on Christmas Eve four years ago. This time, the gift would be the passage of a law named for Goldman and his son that would help other families whose children have been kidnapped to foreign countries. After three years of negotiations, the “Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act” is headed to the U.S. Senate, where it could be approved as soon as this week, said Rep. Chris Smith, who, along with Goldman, appeared at an editorial board meeting at the Asbury Park Press. Smith, R-N.J., said the Senate could take up the bill through unanimous consent, a procedure that would expedite the legislation’s path to President Barack Obama’s desk. Smith said he has not heard yet if Obama would sign the bill, but Goldman said Obama was supportive of his mission when he was a senator and intervened soon after becoming president. The legislation would set up a series of sanctions against countries that persistently fail to follow either the Hague Abduction Conventions, a 1980 international treaty that bars parents from fleeing to other countries until custody is decided, or similar agreements the United States would make with countries that haven’t signed on to that treaty. Sean Goldman, now 13, is the only U.S. child so far to be returned under the Hague treaty, which is signed by more than 80 countries, but rarely is enforced. Children who have come home do so most often because of an agreement reached between both parents, not because of judicial orders by foreign courts, Goldman said. The sanctions, which range from the president making a private appeal to suspending or revoking economic aide, are key to the legislation, which Smith said amps up the Hague treaty by putting political pressure on countries that harbor parents. The law also would require the U.S. Department of State, with the parents’ pe… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364712 | Jacob Ostreicher Back in the U.S.A. | 2013-12-17 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Jacob Ostreicher, an American businessman imprisoned without formal charges for 20 months in Bolivia, then detained for nearly other year, is finally back in the United States, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a leading human rights advocate in Congress. “We are overjoyed that he is free,” Smith said. “It has been a long, painful road for Jacob and his family. He needs time to restore his health and rebuild his life, and he needs time with his family. A great injustice has been done to him from which he may never fully recover.” “I thank Sean Penn for his tireless work to free Jacob,” said Smith, who held a May 2013 congressional hearing at which Penn testified. Two and a half years ago, Jacob was imprisoned on unsubstantiated allegations. Bolivian officials employed delay tactics and gave excuses for his continued detention. No evidence has been presented to indicate that Mr. Ostreicher is guilty of any crime. And there is no sign of the $27 million in assets from his rice farming operation that were confiscated. PHOTO: Following Smith’s May 20, 2013 congressional hearing on Jacob's plight, Smith and Penn discuss the case. Smith visited Ostreicher—whose daughter and grandchildren live in Smith district—twice in Bolivia. Bail was denied for over 18 months, but finally granted in December 2012. Smith visited him in June 2012 in the notorious Palmasano, a prisoner-run prison, and met with Bolivian officials to seek his release. In December 2012, Smith led a bipartisan congressional delegation to continue to press for his freedom, accompanied by Rep. Nydia Velázquez. Smith has held three congressional hearings on the case. Ostreicher is now especially frail, due in part to his hunger strike to protest his imprisonment. During his confinement, he began treatment for Parkinson’s disease. During the June 2012 visit, Smith met with the Bolivian Minister of Government, Carlos Romero, to detail Ostreicher’s story of injustice, including repeated court delays and complete lack of evidenc… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364832 | The Record: Returning children | 2013-12-16 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | IT'S RARE to see Congress agree on anything, so it was heartening to see a 398-0 vote Wednesday in the House of Representatives in support of a bill to help parents whose children were abducted by a spouse or other family member to live in another country. -There are existing laws that are supposed to help parents engaged in an international custody battle, such as the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. But the reality is that they aren't very effective. Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican from Mercer County, authored the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013, which was unanimously approved in the House on Wednesday. It would increase the oversight on child abduction cases and give the State Department more power to help resolve them. David Goldman, of Tinton Falls, spent five years apart from his son, Sean, after the boy's mother took him to Brazil and her parents tried to win custody after the mother died. Smith pressured the State Department and made two trips to Brazil with Goldman. They eventually succeeded in getting Sean back after Sen. Frank Lautenberg said he would block action on a trade bill Brazil wanted. Most "left-behind parents," as they're called, haven't been as fortunate as Goldman. Smith said that each year, more than 1,000 international child abductions are reported to the State Department's Office on Children's Issues. Some of these are military members whose service keeps them from being able to attend legal proceedings in the United States or abroad. Smith said that according to State Department reports, only about half of the children abducted to countries that are part of the Hague Abduction Convention are returned. And the percentage is less than 40 percent when the children are taken to countries without treaty obligations to the U.S. The bill would make it clear that reuniting parents with their children is a priority for the U.S. government. Part of its guidelines would require the State Department to fil… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364361 | <span class="kicker">Asbury Park Press page one</span>'Child abduction bill passes House with no opposition' | 2013-12-14 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Written by Malia Rulon Herman, Gannett News Service -- The House voted unanimously on Wednesday to pass legislation from Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey that aims to crack down on countries that harbor children abducted by a parent. The bill was named for David Goldman of Tinton Falls, whose five-year fight to get his son back from Brazil drew international attention. Goldman’s son Sean was returned to him on Christmas Eve almost exactly four years ago. “Today, we have hope,” Goldman told reporters shortly before the vote. “Our abducted American children need to be returned.” Smith’s bill passed 398-0, an impressive show of bipartisan support that Smith says should help the bill attract support in the Senate. The bill would give the U.S. government authority to pursue sanctions — from a public rebuke to trade and credit suspensions — on countries that refuse to turn over abducted children. Under the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, parents are barred from fleeing to another country with their children until a court determines custody. Some 81 countries are signatories, but the treaty is rarely enforced. Smith, a Republican, said he hopes his legislation creates a system in which countries are held accountable for failing to comply with court orders to return abducted children. He was joined by Goldman and six other families who are struggling to get their children back from other countries. In an hour-long news conference that evoked tears from several present, the parents took turns telling their stories. Bindu Philips of Plainsboro, N.J., said she was never apart from her children for more than a day until five years ago, when her ex-husband took them to India and blocked all efforts to have them returned. “I have done everything I can in this nightmarish situation, and I will never give up,” she said.. Barton Hermer of Plano, Texas, told of struggling to get his daughter back from her mother, who fled with her to the United Kingdom. “I plead to you, to the… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364359 | <span class="kicker">Fox News Channel</span>Smith Presses Cases of Americans Held in Iran | 2013-12-13 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | FOX NEWS - The wife of an American pastor imprisoned for his faith in Iran said she was shocked to learn the U.S. government had been conducting secret negotiations with Iran even as State Department officials told her they could do little to free her husband because the nations have no diplomatic relations. Naghmeh Abedini, whose husband, Saeed Abedini, is serving an eight-year prison term in Iran after being arrested more than a year ago while visiting his homeland, told FoxNews.com she felt betrayed when she later learned U.S. diplomats were negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran even while claiming nothing could be done for her husband. “Initially, when I went to the U.S. government, they said we don’t have a direct relationship with Iran," Naghmeh Abdeini said, moments after telling a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee her husband's health is failing in prison. "Here we were sitting across table from Iran. It was our best leverage. It should have been a precondition.""Here we were sitting across table from Iran. It was our best leverage. It should have been a precondition." "Here we were sitting across table from Iran. It was our best leverage. It should have been a precondition."- Naghmeh Abedini, wife of American imprisoned in Iran. The Boise, Idaho, mother of two said her husband's relatives in Iran have been able to meet with him sporadically, and have given her grim news about his condition. She said the imprisoned American's father saw Abedini 10 days ago and reported that has internal bleeding from repeated beatings at the hands of guards and fellow inmates and was covered with lice. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, said "time is running out" for Abedini, who experts believe would be unlikely to survive eight years in Iran’s brutal prison system. Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Smith said Abedini and two other Americans being held in Iran should hav… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364230 | Fate of American Pastor Held in Iran Focus of House Hearing | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The plight of imprisoned Iranian-American Saeed Abedini was the topic of a congressional hearing Thursday chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights issues. “As we speak, Pastor Abedini remains imprisoned in Iran, sharing a cell with violent criminals who have more than once surrounded Pastor Abedini as he tried to sleep, wielding knives and threatening his life,” Smith said. “Saeed Abedini is an American citizen. He went to Iran last year to build an orphanage for Iranian children.” Abedini, who lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife and two children, had been arrested in Iran before, but released and told by the government he could enter and exit the country for humanitarian aid work if he agreed to cease pastoring house churches. Abedini accepted that proposal–but Iran did not uphold its end of the agreement. He was arrested in July 2012, imprisoned, and unjustly tried for sharing his religious beliefs and thereby supposedly undermining the security of Iran. The trial was not public, and he and his attorney were barred from participating in key portions of the trial—following which a judge sentenced him to 8 years in prison. His appeals have been denied. “In prison, he has been repeatedly beaten, denied medical care, and held in solitary confinement. While nuclear talks played out on the world stage—Iran moved Pastor Abedini to a prison notorious for housing the worst criminals in Iran, Rajai Shahr,” Smith said.Click here to read Smith’s statement. Despite international diplomacy and negotiations on its nuclear program, the Iranian government transferred him from a prison commonly holding political prisoners, Evin Prison, to the notoriously dangerous Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj for violent criminals. According to onerecent AP report, “Transfer to Karaj, customarily used to house violent criminals, has all too frequently been a de facto death sentence for political prisoners.” Naghmeh Abedini—wife of Pastor Abedini—testifi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222035723/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-votes-ryan-murray-bipartisan-budget | LoBiondo Votes For Ryan-Murray Bipartisan Budget | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) today issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Ryan-Murray Bipartisan Budget – agreed to by Representative Paul Ryan (WI-01) and Senator Patty Murray (WA) - which sets discretionary federal spending for fiscal years 2014 and 2015: “Whether it was meeting with members of our Chambers of Commerce, visiting local employers or speaking with county and municipal officials, the message I heard for the past couple of years has been the same: the uncertainty coming from Washington stymies economic growth and job creation. This budget provides the long-term stability and fiscal certainty businesses and local governments have pleaded for. It represents a realistic compromise on discretionary spending levels to ensure military readiness and national security while protecting life-saving research and infrastructure investments from additional cuts. And it prevents another government shutdown while demonstrating Congress’ ability to come together on critical issues for Americans and our economy. “As we look to 2014, it is my sincere hope that the bipartisan spirit and results continue to other critical issues such as deficit reduction, preserving Medicare and Social Security, immigration reform and tax reform. We’ve taken a small, but important first step with this bipartisan budget – I hope we continue to move in the right direction towards increasing economic growth while decreasing the nation’s $17 trillion debt.” The last budget passed by a divided government – where Republicans control one chamber of Congress while Democrats control the other - was during President Reagan’s tenure in 1986. Today’s bipartisan budget, approved by the House 332 to 94, will now be considered by the Senate. # # # | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364038 | ‘Left-Behind’ Parents to Watch Int’l Child Abduction Vote in House | 2013-12-11 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Spring Lake, NJ Avon-By-The-Sea, NJ Bay Head, NJ Belmar Marina, NJ Fisherman's Memorial - Point Pleasant, NJ Manasquan Inlet, NJ Monmouth Battlefield State Park, NJ | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364208 | House Debates, Votes 398-0 to Approve Congressman Smith’s International Child Abduction Bill | 2013-12-11 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | “Left-behind” parents came from across the country to watch as Members of the House of Representatives voted to unanimously pass a bill to help bring home American children abducted to overseas destinations, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), the author of the legislation and chairman of the House congressional panel which oversees human rights. “The bill gives us continued hope that our elected officials grasp the enormity and the severity of this ongoing injustice and pail inflicted upon these victim families torn apart because their American children have been ripped from their loving arms,” said David Goldman, of Monmouth County, N.J., who waged a five-year battle to get his son back from Brazil. He is one of the lucky parents. H.R. 3212, the “Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013,” passed 398-0. Smith has held several hearings on the heartbreaking cases of left-behind parents of American children abducted to India, Japan, Egypt, India, Brazil, Russia, England and other countries where far too few of the thousands of U.S. kids held wrongfully overseas are returned. Not all countries have signed The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, the standing international treaty to try to address parental abductions via a civil framework that provides for the quick return of abducted children, and access rights to both parents. Sadly, even Hague signatories, like Brazil, often don’t enforce its provisions. “Mr. Speaker, more than one thousand international child abductions are reported to the State Department’s Office on Children’s Issues—the Central Authority of the United States—each year. Between 2008 and 2012, 7,000 American children were abducted, according to the State Department,” said Smith, who has been pushing for over three years to see the bill brought out of committee and to the House floor for passage. “In order to ensure that the administration has maximum flexibility in advancing solutions, the President i… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363902 | Violence in Egypt Is Focus of Hearing on Int’l Human Rights Day | 2013-12-10 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Human rights abuses against Coptic Christians, moderate Muslims and other religious minorities, and the threats to stability and peace in Egypt were among the topics of a congressional hearing held by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights issues, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, the anniversary of the founding of International Human Rights Day. “It is fitting that we are holding this hearing today, on International Human Rights Day, because we are witnessing grievous violence and other abuses directed against religious and political minorities, particularly the Copts and other Christians, about which our government and the media has said far too little—which seems to be a pattern world-wide,” Smith said. “After President Mubarak resigned in February of 2011, the world hoped for a new Egypt, a just government for all Egyptians, which would not make President Mubarak’s mistakes—but reality has been just the opposite.” Smith said horrific anti-Christian persecutions have taken place under each of the post-Mubarak governments. “For some of these abuses, the governments bear the responsibility of inaction. For others they bear direct responsibility. In recent months, undercurrents of abuse and contempt for human dignity long existing in Egypt have turned into flash floods of violence.” Click here to read Chairman Smith’s opening remarks or click here to view video of his opening statement. “Human Rights Abuses in Egypt,” a joint hearing before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, offered witnesses on the role of moderate Muslims, the plight of the Coptic minority and the need to protect religious freedoms. Smith’s hearing included testimonies from Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom; Tad Stahnke, Director of Policy and Programs, Human Rights First; Zuhdi Jasser, M.D., Vice Chair, U.S. Comm… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363857 | Int’l Human Rights Day Tues. Dec 10 | 2013-12-09 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The threats to stability and peace in Egypt will be the topic of a congressional hearing Tuesday chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights issues. “Human Rights Abuses in Egypt,” is the title of a joint hearing to be held before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations and the Subcommittee Middle East and North Africa. Witnesses will focus on role of moderate Muslims, the plight of the Coptic minority and the need to protect religious freedoms. Who: Chairman Smith, and other members of the House subcommittees, and witnesses: Zuhdi Jasser, M.D., Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom Samuel Tadros, Research Fellow, Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute Dr. Morad Abou-Sabe, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University (Former President of Misr University for Science & Technology) Tad Stahnke, Director of Policy and Programs, Human Rights First When: Tues., Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. Where: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172 (first floor) The significance of Human Rights Day and the planned hearing being held on the day proclaimed in 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly as "Human Rights Day" was not unnoticed by Bishop Angaelos, who is Washington to testify. “This day was chosen to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the tenets of which are at the core of this testimonial statement, and are the entitlement of every Egyptian and every member of our shared humanity,” Bishop Angselos said. “Christians in Egypt have been suffering persecution and marginalisation, even before the uprising. In its aftermath however, this suffering has intensified significantly. The frequency in attacks on Christians and other religious minority groups, their communities and p… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222035801/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-joins-effort-protect-volunteer-fire-companies-negative-consequence-obamacare | LoBiondo Joins Effort to Protect Volunteer Fire Companies from Negative Consequence of Obamacare | 2013-12-09 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | MAYS LANDING, N.J. – Facing a serious threat to future operations of volunteer fire departments in South Jersey and across the country by a provision in Obamacare, U.S. Representative Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) has petitioned the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel to issue agency guidance that would prevent companies from having to “dissolve or convert to paid departments in order to shift the costs to their municipal government.” LoBiondo, a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, also outlined a possible solution to ensure volunteer emergency personnel and the communities they serve are protected. LoBiondo was made aware of the issue by local municipal officials working with South Jersey fire chiefs to ensure compliance with Obamacare. LoBiondo is looking at legislative options with his colleagues in the event that the IRS does not take corrective action. The full text of LoBiondo’s letter to the Acting IRS Commissioner is as follows: December 6, 2013 Dear Acting Commissioner Werfel: It has come to my attention (as an active member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus) that many of my colleagues are trying to get clarification about the effects of the Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions (ESRP) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on our volunteer emergency responders. Therefore, I too would like to be on the record with my serious concern about the unintended consequences this portion of the PPACA may have on a vital segment of our communities. In particular, I have heard from volunteer fire departments in my district that if the PPACA “is interpreted to require that volunteer companies provide health benefits, it would seem that the companies would either have to dissolve or convert to paid departments in order to shift the costs to their municipal government.” I think you would agree that this outcome would be detrimental to those municipalities that rely on these heroes day in and day out to provide services their lo… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364039 | Smith Criticizes U.N. Security Council for Delaying ‘Truly Effective Action’ on the Central African Republic | 2013-12-06 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The United Nations Security Council yesterday passed a watered down resolution transitioning responsibility of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central Africa Republic (MISCA), to the African Union (AU) while postponing preparations for a United Nations-led Peacekeeping Mission by at least three months, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), who chaired a recent congressional hearing on the crisis in the Central Africa Republic (CAR). “In effect, the Council has deferred taking truly effective action, the result of which will likely be not only lost time, but also lost lives,” Smith said. “We have been down this road before.” Smith noted that in August 1997, the Security Council approved an AU-led Mission for the Surveillance of the Bangui Accords, MISAB, coupled with French military support, to restore order in the CAR. By January 1998, the mission proved incapable of fulfilling its mandate, France scaled back its presence, and the U.N. was left with the “only viable option” of deploying a half-hearted and poorly-funded U.N. peacekeeping operation. Smith called for “a robust effort to get ‘blue helmets’ – U.N. peacekeepers with a U.N. Charter mandate – on the ground in the CAR.” “Nothing to precludes us from working simultaneously to get this under U.N. auspices while at the same time supporting African forces that are already on the ground,” though he noted that three civil society witnesses at his recent congressional hearing on the troubled nation, including a CAR bishop, believed that the existing forces were ineffective and had called for deployment of U.N. peacekeepers as soon as possible. “If the international community is serious about its commitment to stop genocide, and ‘Never Again’ is to be more than a bumper-sticker sentiment, this is the moment to get it right,” Smith said. “Yes: we must provide rapid and robust support the AU and French mission to ensure their success, but we must also be as prepared as possible should they falter. These efforts are not mutual… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363582 | Daughters Call on Obama/Biden to Seek the Release of Their Fathers | 2013-12-05 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Amid powerful and often emotional testimony, five young women appealed to Vice President Joe Biden, who is now in China, to bring their unjustly-imprisoned fathers’ plights to the attention of the Chinese government, and seek their release. They spoke passionately at a hearing held by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of its subcommittee on global human rights. “I join with my fellow sisters here today to request Vice President Biden to ask Chinese leaders to release our fathers, and to request an Oval Office meeting with President Obama to share our stories,” said Lisa Peng, daughter of Peng Ming. “I know that my dream to be reunited with my father and my father’s dream for his country can come true with your support, persistence, and affirmation of the universal and fundamental values of our country: freedom, democracy, and justice." As a second child to her parents, she dodged the nation’s brutal one-child policy, which forces women to undergo abortions against their will for such reasons as failing to have a birth permit, being an unwed mother-to-be or being a second child. “Because I was a survivor of the one-child forced abortion policy I was considered a non-entity, couldn’t go to school and even when my mom would drive my brother to school and I was in the car, the government would have four secret police tailgate us and bump into us as we were driving to school,” Peng told the panel. “There was no future for me in China. The fact that I safely escaped and was accepted by the United States, and respected in classrooms, and my voice was heard in classrooms, and I have opportunities—unimaginable opportunities—to do whatever I want in the future and to give back to the community that has given me so much—that’s what makes me feel so grateful and hopeful every day.” Peng, who came to the U.S. in 2001 as a political refugees with her father, an environmentalist, an economist, author and a human rights activist, said he was lured by eig… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363707 | Smith on passing of Nelson Mandela | 2013-12-05 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Smith on passing of Nelson Mandela f t # e Washington, Dec 5, 2013 Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a longtime human rights advocate in Congress, released the following statement on the death of Nelson Mandela: "It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Nelson Mandela," Smith said. "President Mandela waged a long and arduous struggle to end the racist policy of apartheid. In prison for 27 years, he chose the path of truth and reconciliation over violence and famously said that ‘as I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.’" A senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Smith is chairman of the House Africa, Global Health , Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee. f t # e | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://lobiondo.house.gov/event/new-years-day-2 | New Years Day - Offices Closed | 2013-12-05 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | lobiondo.house.gov | legacy | New Years Day - Offices Closed Start: January 1, 2014 End: January 1, 2014 Dec 5, 2013 | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://lobiondo.house.gov/event/second-session-113th-congress-convenes | Second Session of 113th Congress Convenes | 2013-12-05 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | lobiondo.house.gov | legacy | Second Session of 113th Congress Convenes Start: January 7, 2014 6:30 pm End: January 7, 2014 6:30 pm Location: US Capitol, Washington, DC Dec 5, 2013 | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363453 | Daughters of China Plea for Release of their Fathers | 2013-12-04 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The congressional hearing “Their Daughters Appeal to Beijing: ‘Let Our Fathers Go!’” will be held by Chairman Chris Smith (NJ-04), head of the global human rights subcommittee in the House of Representatives, and co-chairman of the U.S. Commission on China. Who: Chairman Smith, (NJ-04) co-chair of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of its subcommittee on global human rights; other members of the subcommittee, and witnesses: *Lisa Peng, Daughter of Peng Ming *Grace Ge Geng, Daughter of Gao Zhisheng *Ti-Anna Wang, Daughter of Wang Bingzhang *Bridgette Chen, Daughter of Liu Xianming *Danielle Wang, Daughter of Wang Zhiwen *Bob Fu, Founder and President, ChinaAid Association *Chen Guangfu, Brother of Chen Guangcheng and father of Chen Kegui *Devra Marcus, M.D., Physician and Activist What: “Their Daughters Appeal to Beijing: “Let Our Fathers Go!”” When: Thursday, Dec. 5 at 11 a.m. Where: 2172 Rayburn House Office Building (first floor). | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363743 | Cong. Smith Greets 'Teacher of the Year' | 2013-12-04 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Cong. Smith Greets 'Teacher of the Year' Monmouth County professor one among only 36 across USA to receive honor f t # e Washington, Dec 4, 2013 Brookdale Community College’s Linda Wang, Professor of Mathematics (center) was recently honored in a Washington DC ceremony in which she and 36 other teachers across the country were selected for the prestigious Professor of the Year award offered by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The program salutes “the most outstanding undergraduate instructors in the country—those who excel as teachers and influence the lives and careers of their students.” Nominated by her peers and students Professor Wang was selected for both her dedication to the academic success of her students as well as the lasting mark she left on those who she interacted with. In addition to teaching a broad number of math courses at Brookdale—ranging from pre-Algebra to Calculus—Professor Wang also serves as the Faculty Advisor for the Asia Society at Brookdale Community College. Professor Wang is also one of the Founding Members of the Diversity Council at Brookdale which helps to bring awareness of diversity and promote the understanding and respect of individuals’ different cultures and backgrounds. In her nomination packet, former students noted that Professor Wang made remarkable impacts on their lives. A former student said about Professor Wang’s Math 091 class: “It was in my math class, where I gained the confidence needed to be a successful student. It was in my math class, where I learned perseverance and never to give up. It was in my math class that I saw the dedication of a teacher, I’ve tried to emulate over the years since I joined the ranks of the teaching… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20131206021954/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-larsen-applaud-committee-passage-their-sleep-apnea-legislation-ensure-safety | LoBiondo, Larsen Applaud Committee Passage of Their Sleep Apnea Legislation to Ensure Safety of the Skies | 2013-12-04 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Subcommittee on Aviation Chairman Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (WA-02) today applauded committee passage of their bipartisan legislation (H.R. 3578) to ensure the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducts an open rulemaking process before making changes to medical certification requirements for pilots with sleep disorders. “Safety remains my and the subcommittee’s top priority. While sleep apnea has never been identified as a primary cause or contributing factor of an aviation accident, health issues can arise unexpectedly which is why I have always supported reasonable, effective, and proactive efforts to improve aviation safety,” said Chairman LoBiondo. “Should a revision to existing policies on sleep disorders be warranted, then the FAA should engage in an open rulemaking process to ensure all viewpoints, including those of medical experts, are heard and carefully considered.” “When it comes to flying, safety is my top priority,” Ranking Member Larsen said. “The FAA needs to address the issue of sleep apnea in an open and transparent way that lets all stakeholders and safety experts provide input. I thank Chairman LoBiondo for his leadership on this issue and I look forward to working with the FAA, pilots, airlines and others to continue making flying safer.” Current FAA requirements dictate a pilot or air traffic controller diagnosed with sleep apnea to report their condition and seek treatment. The Aviation Medical Examiners Guide – a comprehensive document detailing the FAA’s medical certification regulations, dispositions, and protocols – includes an established process that provides the FAA with the authority to issue or re-issue an airman medical certificate to an applicant that is diagnosed with sleep apnea. After a review process, the FAA ultimately decides whether or not to issue a medical certificate. In November, FAA officials announced their intent to subject all pilots with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more - who might be at risk of ha… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363333 | Smith Chairs Hearing on State of Victims in Philippines from Typhoon | 2013-12-03 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The typhoon-ravaged Philippines, the findings of the bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) led by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) to the Philippines from Nov. 22-26, and the responses of U.S. government and international aid organizations were the focus of a hearing on Tuesday before the House global health panel chaired by Smith. Super-typhoon Haiyan made its first landfall November 8th with wind speeds of 195 mph, making it the strongest storm in history at the time of landfall. An estimated 13.2 million Filipinos have been affected by the catastrophic storm that claimed thousands of lives and leveled homes, towns and entire cities, and 3.4 million people who lived directly in the typhoon’s path are now internally displaced. “I led a congressional delegation to the Philippines to witness the devastation unleashed by Typhoon Haiyan—known locally as Typhoon Yolanda—and to gain a better understanding of the unmet needs going forward,” said Smith, Chairman of the global health subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee. “I met with numerous survivors who told us heartbreaking stories yet radiated a calm and inner peace. One man told us how his father drowned only a few feet from where we stood and how he had stoically carried many waterlogged dead bodies to a mass grave. He said he nearly collapsed emotionally, however, when he carried the lifeless body of a three year-old girl. He said he just broke down, overwhelmed, and felt he could continue no more. Yet amazingly, a few hours later, there he was—determined to rebuild and overcome and full of faith in God. ” Smith summed up the morale of the survivors by employing the words of by Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu who said, “the Typhoon was the strongest in the world…but our faith in the Lord is even stronger…no calamity or natural devastation can quench the fire of our hope. The Filipino soul is stronger than Yolanda.” Click here to read Smith’s opening remarks. Click here or on image below to view video of statement http://www.youtube.com/watc… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363344 | Of 112 Obamacare Plans for Congress and Staff, 103 are Pro-Abortion | 2013-12-03 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | With a December 9th deadline for Members of Congress and congressional staff to sign up for Obamacare health insurance, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) released new evidence of President Obama violating pro-life laws and providing taxpayer funding for insurance plans that include abortion on demand. “In the run-up to passage of Obamacare, Americans were repeatedly told and reassured by President Obama himself, including in a speech to a joint session of Congress in October 2009, that ‘under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortion.’ Obama even issued the infamous Executive Order that claimed, ‘the Act maintains current Hyde Amendment restrictions governing abortion policy and extends those restrictions to newly created health insurance exchanges,’” said Smith. “Once again we see those promises ring hollow—what the President said simply isn’t true today. In the most recent example, 103 of the 112 insurance plans that Members of Congress and congressional staff are being directed to INCLUDE ELECTIVE ABORTION coverage. Only nine plans offered exclude elective abortion,” Smith continued. (Click here to view flyer regarding the nine plans.) Congressional employees have until just Dec. 9, 2013 to sign up for an employer-sponsored insurance plan on the Obamacare exchange offered in the District of Columbia (DC Health Link). Doubtlessly many congressional staff will—knowingly or unknowingly—sign up for these abortion plans marking a distinct departure from the Smith Amendment, a longstanding law prohibiting abortion coverage in plans provided to federal employees. The amendment offered by Chris Smith three decades ago to ban abortion funding in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Programs is still current law. Like the Hyde Amendment, the Smith Amendment prohibits the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from funding or even engaging in administrative activities in connection with any plan that includes abortion. However, the Obama Administration is now violating the Smith amendment s… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363179 | Smith CODEL to Philippines in Wake of Typhoon to Be Focus of House Hearing | 2013-12-02 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The findings of the bipartisan congressional delegation led by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) from Nov. 22-26 to the typhoon-ravaged Philippines, and the responses of U.S. government and international aid organizations, will be the topic of a congressional hearing on Tuesday before the House global health panel chaired by Smith. Who: Congressman Smith, Chairman of the global health subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee; other Members of the subcommittee and the Smith CODEL and; witnesses: Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Sean Callahan, Chief Operating Officer, Catholic Relief Services Chris Palusky, Senior Director, Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs, World Vision What: “The United States’ Post-Typhoon Response in the Philippines” When: Tuesday, Dec. 3 @ 3 p.m. Where: 2172 Rayburn House Office Building on the first floor. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363072 | FEMA OK’s $1.747M for Belmar Marina Facilities Destroyed by Superstorm Sandy | 2013-11-27 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The Sandy-battered community of Belmar will be receiving additional help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is awarding a $1.747 million grant to help pay for marina buildings, bridges, decks and other associated facilities damaged by Superstorm Sandy, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said today. This latest Belmar grant follows previous federal funding totaling over $9 million for replacement of the boardwalk also destroyed as a result of Superstorm Sandy. Both grant awards are authorized under Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Act. “As someone who has been going to Belmar since I was a young boy, I can easily envision how these improvements will change the Belmar waterfront which was nearly unrecognizable to me when I first saw it days after Superstorm Sandy hit,” said Smith. “Boardwalks and marina facilities are the critical for many Jersey Shore towns, and rebuilding them and restoring them is essential to recovery.” The grant will help fund nine construction sites, four of which are completed and the others underway. “The switch from a 75-25 percent federal-local cost share to a 90-10 split will obviously make a huge difference for the people of Belmar and the town’s budget,” Smith said, who earlier this year took a lead role in obtaining $60 billion in federal disaster relief funding for Superstorm Sandy victims. He later pressed FEMA to fund 90 percent of municipal clean-up and rebuilding costs, instead of the standard 75 percent. At a June meeting with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in Smith’s Washington Office, Smith asked for 90-10 federal share for FEMA funding for Belmar and other towns. Fugate approved the 90 percent ratio several weeks later. The higher cost share resulted in $290,000 additional aid in this grant. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363073 | FEMA OK’s $2 Million+ Grant for Water Pump Station Destroyed by Superstorm Sandy | 2013-11-27 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The South Monmouth Regional Sewage Authority (SMRSA) is slated to receive a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help pay for the replacement of the Lake Como Water Pump Station that was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. This new funding follows over $1 million previously received by SMRSA for damages to the Authority’s Pitney Avenue Pump Station, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said today. The grant will provide $2,083,016 in Federal funding to pay for 90 percent of the cost to replace the pump station, allowing it to be permanently relocated from 501 North Boulevard in Lake Como to a new site at 1800 Parkway in Lake Como. “This pumping station has had a long history of flood damages,” Smith said. “This funding will help move it to a location intended to avoid or minimize future impairments and service disruptions.” The grant award follows a review by FEMA that evaluated potential environmental impacts. “Sandy damaged critical infrastructure up-and-down the coast,” said Smith, who toured damage throughout Monmouth and other counties in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. “This grant undoes a poor location decision made back in the 1970s.” Superstorm Sandy submerged the pump station in five to six feet of water, shutting it down until a temporary bypass system was set up. Smith earlier this year took a lead role in obtaining $60 billion in federal disaster relief funding for Superstorm Sandy victims. At a June meeting in Smith’s Washington Office, Smith personally appealed to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to approve a 90 percent federal share for FEMA funding going to Jersey towns to pay for cleanup costs—instead of the initially planned 75 percent. Fugate approved the 90 percent ratio several weeks later. The higher cost ratio will provide the authority with an additional $347,000 for the project. The South Monmouth Regional Sewerage Authority (SMRSA) provides sanitary sewer conveyance and treatment for Monmouth County’s coastal towns of Belmar, Lake Como, Spri… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363075 | <span class="kicker">Star Ledger news article</span>While touring ravaged Philippines, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith's plane diverts for rescue effort | 2013-11-27 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | By Darryl Isherwood/NJ.com The Star-Ledger - While traveling in the Philippines with a congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith's plane was diverted to aid in a helicopter rescue, the representative's spokesman said today. Smith was traveling in the Philippines, ravaged earlier this month by Typhoon Haiyan, to meet with victims, emergency workers, and U.S. and Filipino government officials. During the trip, the U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules Smith was traveling in was diverted to pick up two survivors of a helicopter crash into Manila Bay. The C-130 crew, from Villamor Air Base, found the passengers floating in the water and dropped flotation devices for them. While in the devastated country, Smith toured the devastation in Tacloban City and surrounding areas in Leyte. "It's mind numbing and heart numbing," Smith said. "I've been to many places around the world when there have been catastrophic typhoons hurricanes, earthquakes and even more. It is powerful to witness the Filipino people's resiliency in the face of devastation, in the face the loss of life." Smith said he saw the importance of meeting with victims face to face during Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed huge portions of the New Jersey coast as well as inland areas. "We saw with Superstorm Sandy in my own state the devastation and the U.S. government—federal government—had our back because we needed it," Smith said. "Friends here in the Philippines, they have to know that we have their backs and I think that's what USAID is doing - Catholic Relief Services and the other non-government organizations - so that's the message I take away from here." The typhoon that walloped the country earlier this month left behind a death toll of at least 5,200 people, though that number continues to climb. It was the strongest storm - in terms of wind speed - ever recorded at landfall. Smith was joined on the trip by U.S. Reps. Al Green (D-TX), and Trent Franks (R-AZ). http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/11/post_46.html | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363078 | <span class="kicker">The Trentonian</span>Congressman Chris Smith takes trip to devastated Philippines | 2013-11-27 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Smith, who serves Hamilton and Robbinsville, traveled to the region impacted by Super Typhoon Haiyan, according to a release on Tuesday. “Its mind numbing and heart numbing,” Smith said, “I’ve been to many places around the world when there have been catastrophic typhoons hurricanes, earthquakes and even more. It is powerful to witness the Filipino people’s resiliency in the face of devastation, in the face the loss of life.” The former U.S. territory suffered a direct hit on Nov. 8 by what officials say is one of the strongest storms in history. More than 4,000 people were killed and an estimated 4.4 million people have been displaced. The food supply has been hit hard with the typhoon damaging over 375,000 acres of local agriculture, including staples like rice, corn, and other vegetables. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that one million farmers and fishermen have lost their livelihoods, no longer able to contribute to the food supply, according to the release. The congressman joined Reps. Al Green (D-TX-09) and Trent Franks (R-AZ-08), and upon arrival the three met with Filipino Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario. Smith expressed to him that the U.S would continue working with his government to bring life-saving supplies, the release said. The American and Filipino peoples have had an enormous bond for “well over a century,” Smith said. The delegates assisted in handing out clean water kits and other basic supplies to help mitigate the spread of water borne diseases. “It’s all about generosity,” Smith said, “We saw with Superstorm Sandy in my own state the devastation and the U.S. government had our back because we needed it. Friends here in the Philippines, they have to know that we have their backs.” At one point, the aircraft Smith was traveling in was diverted en route to pick up two survivors of a helicopter crash into Manila Bay. The crew located the two passengers of the helicopter floating on the water and dropped flotation devices for them… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362963 | Rep. Smith Statement on Supreme Court Decision to Hear Religious Freedom Cases | 2013-11-26 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Co-Chairman of the Congressional Pro-life Caucus, today released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to take up Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood’s Religious Freedom cases. “President Obama’s use of the coercive power of the state to force people of faith and people of conscience to violate their fundamental convictions or suffer severe penalty is unconscionable and violates the basic principles of religious freedom that are so central to our Constitution,” Smith said. “The Supreme Court’s decision to take up the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood cases gives reason to hope that they will provide much needed relief for family-owned businesses who find themselves in the impossible position of being forced to violate their moral or religious beliefs or face ruinous fines.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363074 | <span class="kicker">Washington Times Op-Ed</span>SMITH: Ensuring that Typhoon Haiyan doesn’t trigger a sex-trafficking epidemic | 2013-11-26 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Typhoon Haiyan — perhaps the strongest tropical storm ever to make landfall — has shifted the international humanitarian-assistance machine into high gear. On Nov. 22, I led a bipartisan fact-finding congressional delegation that included Reps. Al Green, Texas Democrat, and Trent Franks, Arizona Republican, and senior staff to the Philippines. We visited storm-ravaged areas, including Tacloban and Ormoc. In Manila, we visited government officials, church representatives and leaders of numerous nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). I plan on chairing a hearing in early December to report on our findings and to hear from experts on the next steps. The United Nations has issued a worldwide immediate appeal for $301 million — an amount that is likely to increase. Emergency shelter, food, water and medicine are being shipped in to meet the needs of the approximately 10 million victims, including at least 4 million who have been displaced. The U.S. government has spent or pledged almost $50 million to help. As was the case after the devastating 2004 tsunami, America has deployed an aircraft carrier — this time, the USS George Washington — and other military assets to provide emergency assistance. Catholic Relief Services alone has committed $20 million to “assist people’s immediate needs for survival, and their long-term support for full recovery.” Two Sundays ago, Catholic churches throughout the United States collected funds to aid the victims. However, there are two post-storm dangers that must receive immediate attention as well: the threat of epidemics and rising levels of human trafficking. In natural disasters such as a typhoon, epidemics are likely a result of contaminated water systems and the breakdown of medical services. Diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, typhoid fever, shigellosis, leptospirosis and polio are often seen. Crowded or other uncertain living conditions contribute to the kind of water contamination that breeds epidemics, and more than 707,000 house… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363076 | <span class="kicker">NJ.com news article</span>N.J. Congressman tours typhoon-stricken areas in PhilippinesN.J. Congressman tours typhoon-stricken areas in Philippines | 2013-11-26 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | After witnessing Hurricane Sandy’s impact on his own district, a New Jersey congressman is surveying a devastating typhoon’s damage half way around the world. Congressman Chris Smith (R-4th) and his bipartisan congressional delegation traveled to the region impacted by Typhoon Haiyan to meet with victims of the typhoon, emergency workers and U.S. and Filipino government officials. “You listen to the victims and talk directly to the people who are leading the humanitarian response efforts so you can see where there is an unmet need and how federal resources can help," Smith said in a Tuesday press release. Smith is no stranger to disaster zones. He gained a working knowledge of on-the-ground disaster relief and response operations domestically and around the world, including during the 2004 Tsunami and most recently in New Jersey when parts of his congressional district were severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Smith, who is joined on the trip by Reps. Al Green (D-TX), and Trent Franks (R-AZ), saw for himself the typhoon's devastation in Tacloban City and surrounding areas in Leyte. “It’s mind numbing and heart numbing,” Smith said. “I’ve been to many places around the world when there have been catastrophic typhoons hurricanes, earthquakes and even more. It is powerful to witness the Filipino people’s resiliency in the face of devastation, in the face the loss of life.” Upon arrival, the Smith delegation met with Filipino Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert del Rosario. Smith expressed to him that the U.S would continue working with his government to bring life-saving supplies. The American and Filipino peoples have had an enormous bond for “well over a century," Smith said. Smith and the delegation toured much of the devastation and at some staging areas assisted in handing out clean water kits and other basic supplies to help mitigate the spread of water borne diseases. “It’s all about generosity,” Smith said. “We saw with Superstorm Sandy in my own state the devastation and the U.S. government—federal governm… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362842 | Smith Congressional Delegation Meets with Victims of Typhoon, Filipino Gov't | 2013-11-25 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and his bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) traveled to the region devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan, locally called Typhoon Yolanda, meeting with victims of the typhoon, emergency workers and U.S. and Filipino government officials. “It’s mind numbing and heart numbing,” Smith said. “I’ve been to many places around the world when there have been catastrophic typhoons hurricanes, earthquakes and even more. It is powerful to witness the Filipino people’s resiliency in the face of devastation, in the face the loss of life.” Smith, who is joined on the trip by Reps. Al Green (D-TX-09), and Trent Franks (R-AZ-08), saw for himself the typhoon's devastation in Tacloban City and surrounding areas in Leyte. Upon arrival, the Smith delegation met with Filipino Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert del Rosario. Smith expressed to him that the U.S would continue working with his government to bring life-saving supplies. The American and Filipino peoples have had an enormous bond for “well over a century," Smith said. Smith and the delegation toured much of the devastation and at some staging areas assisted in handing out clean water kits and other basic supplies to help mitigate the spread of water borne diseases. “It’s all about generosity,” Smith said. “We saw with Superstorm Sandy in my own state the devastation and the U.S. government—federal government—had our back because we needed it. Friends here in the Philippines, they have to know that we have their backs and I think that’s what USAID is doing, CRS (Catholic Relief Services) and the other NGOs (non-government organizations) so that’s the message I take away from here.” At one point, the U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules the Smith CODEL was traveling in was diverted en route to pick up two survivors of a helicopter crash into Manila Bay. The C-130 crew, from Villamor Air Base, located the two passengers of the helicopter floating on the water and dropped flotation devices for them. “I am extremely impressed wi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363077 | U.S. Marine Corps HQ: Marines rescue downed aviators amid Operation Damayan | 2013-11-25 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | By 1st Lt. Luke Kuper | Headquarters Marine Corps | November 25, 2013 - Marines with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 assisted in rescue efforts of two pilots involved in a civilian helicopter crash Nov. 24 over Manila Bay.A KC-130J Super Hercules assigned to the squadron was returning to Villamor Air Base from Tacloban after delivering relief supplies in support of Operation Damayan, the U.S. military response to Typhoon Haiyan. Maj. Jason Kauffman, a pilot with the squadron, heard a mayday call come through his radio approximately 18 nautical miles northwest of North Harbor. “We were inbound to approach into Manila … we heard a mayday call from a helicopter that just crashed into Manila Bay,” said Kauffman. “We set up in orbit, we got eyes on the survivors, there were two of them in the water.” The crew immediately prepared to deploy a life raft. “The four crew members in the back got the raft ready to go and cleared all the loose equipment away from the door,” said Sgt. Chris Weins a crew member with the squadron. “On the aircraft commander’s call, we threw the raft out, and it deployed as it was supposed to about 300 feet away from the (survivors).” The Marines' quick response ensured the pilots did not remain in open water long. “A local fisherman responded 20-30 minutes later,” said Kauffman. “They came up alongside the raft we kicked out and loaded the two helicopter pilots into the fishing boat.” Representatives with the U.S. Agency for International Development were passengers in the KC-130J, returning from Tacloban to help with relief efforts. “(Operation Damayan) has been a textbook example, it’s a model, of what we can do when we all work together,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a USAID representative and passenger aboard the Super Hercules. “It’s always nice to learn from what’s gone right.” Also aboard the aircraft were congressmen Trent Franks (Ariz.), Chris Smith (N.J.), and Al Green (TX), who traveled to the Philippines to observe the relief and recovery efforts of the U.S. military. “In… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=770 | The Record: Congress in Class | 2013-11-25 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | The Record: Congress in Class Posted: November 7, 2013 Please take a look at this article, published by The Record, regarding my visit to Passaic Valley High School! | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=771 | Jackson: Morris County Republican Frelinghuysen is the new guardian of the defense budget | 2013-11-25 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | Home | Site Map| Privacy Policy 2306 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-3011 (202) 225-5034 Open: Mon. - Fri., 9am to 5:30pm 30 Schuyler Place, Second Floor Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 984-0711 Open: Mon. - Fri., 9am to 5pm | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362668 | Smith Leads Bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Philippines | 2013-11-22 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) is expected to arrive in the Philippines Saturday leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to the region devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan. The former U.S. territory, and one of the U.S.’s closet allies in the Far East, suffered a direct hit by one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in history on November 8. More than 4,000 people were killed and many more thousands were injured. Basic necessities, including food, clean water, housing and sanitation, have to be provided to thousands of the estimated 4.4 million people who have been displaced. The food supply has been hit hard with the typhoon damaging over 375,000 acres of local agriculture, including staples like rice, corn, and other vegetables. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that one million farmers and fishermen have lost their livelihoods, no longer able to contribute to the food supply. Smith noted that the U.N. has called for $301 million in worldwide humanitarian aid and the U.S. is among the donor nations offering assistance, “The U.S. government has spent or pledged almost $50 million to help. Emergency shelter, food, water and medicine are being shipped in to meet the needs of the victims, many of whom have immediate relatives in the United States. As was the case after the devastating 2004 tsunami, America has deployed an aircraft carrier—this time the USS George Washington—and other military assets to provide emergency assistance." “However, there are two post-storm dangers that must receive immediate attention as well: the threat of epidemics and rising levels of human trafficking,” added Smith, who serves as the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees global health and is the author of our nation’s landmark anti-human trafficking legislation, the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act. "The Philippines is a known source country for trafficking victims who are fooled by promises of careers in other countries. Now there is great concern for th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362786 | Smith Introduces Legislation to Promote Extradition of Fugitives Back to U.S. | 2013-11-22 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | After decades of elusive justice and failed U.S. government efforts to extradite the convicted murderers of a New Jersey State trooper and a World War II veteran, as well as other fugitives, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) and Rep. Albio Sires (NJ-08) today unveiled the “Walter Patterson and Werner Foerster Justice and Extradition Act” (H.R. 3585). “The bill is named after Walter Patterson and Werner Foerster because they were both brutally murdered by people who have been convicted, escaped prison and simply moved abroad, where they live with no consequences or accountability and taunt the surviving relatives and friends of the people they killed. Despite some efforts, our government has failed to bring back the criminals in either case,” said Smith. “These are two of the most egregious cases, but it’s clear that there are many others. Passage of H.R. 3585 would enable us to properly assess the information on actions taken across various federal agencies, reevaluate our efforts and ultimately make policy changes aimed at bringing back criminals who have fled the U.S. justice system. The surviving family members and friends deserve no less.” The bill, sponsored by Smith, would require the executive branch to report to Congress on the number of fugitives which our government is seeking to extradite, the efforts it has undertaken to secure their return, how often it is successful, and factors that have prevented their return. The information would allow Congress to evaluate and strengthen the executive branch’s efforts to extradite fugitives. Walter Patterson was murdered by George Wright at Patterson’s gas station in Wall, N.J., during a Nov. 23, 1962 robbery and convicted. In 1970 Wright escaped from the New Jersey state prison in Leesburg, N.J., later hijacking a plane and fleeing the country. Due to cold case work initiated by FBI investigator R.J. Gallagher, in 2011 Wright was discovered living in a coastal resort area of Portugal, but the Portuguese government refuses to extradite him. (Click here t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362547 | Smith Chairs Congressional Hearing on Alzheimer's Crisis in the U.S. & World | 2013-11-21 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The national epidemic and potential world pandemic of Alzheimer’s Disease was the topic of a congressional hearing today before the House global health panel chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), who also co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease. Over five million Americans suffer from the debilitating disease. Some experts estimate that Alzheimer’s costs Americans over $180 billion annually, which could rise to over $1 trillion a year by 2050. Next month at the G-8 Dementia Summit in the United Kingdom, health ministers from G-8 countries will discuss strategies to address the global challenge of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. “Currently, more than 35 million people worldwide live with some form of dementia,” Smith said. “By 2050, this population is projected to triple and affect more than 115 million people. As populations age across the globe, today's crisis may become tomorrow's catastrophe.” Click here to read Congressman Smith’s opening remarks or here to watch. “The struggle to meet the challenge of HIV-AIDS has been tremendous, but it is one we have made great strides in addressing,” Smith said. “We must do no less in the struggle against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.” Testifying at Smith’s hearing were: Matthew Baumgart, Senior Director of Public Policy, Alzheimer’s Association; Andrea Pfeifer, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, of Switzerland-based AC Immune, and; George Vradenburg, Chairman and Founder, USAgainstAlzheimer’s. Baumgart drew attention to the bipartisan National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) (P.L. 111-375) –co-authored by Smith and former Rep. Ed-Markey of Mass—which passed Congress unanimously in 2010. The Act requires the creation of an annually-updated strategic National Alzheimer’s Plan to help those with the disease and their families today and to change the trajectory of the disease for the future, “Because of the Plan, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) finally has created a blueprint for Al… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362789 | Rep. Smith’s Bill on Boosting U.S. Exports to Africa Approved by Committee | 2013-11-21 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | “The Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act” —legislation to support American jobs by growing U.S. exports to Africa—was passed Thurday by the full House Foreign Affairs Committee, which voted unanimously to pass the bill, written by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees African issues. H.R. 1777, “The Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013,” was passed as an amendment in the form of a substitute. Click here to read the final bill. “Improving the competitiveness of U.S. business in Africa is in America’s interests as well, since more prosperous Africans can afford U.S. manufactured goods,” Smith said. “This legislation focuses on increasing exports of U.S. goods and services to Africa by 200 percent in real dollar value within 10 years. According to the department of commerce every 1 billion in US exports creates some 6000 jobs in this country.” In 2012, Smith held a hearing on the legislation with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson, U.S. Assistant Trade Representative for Africa Florizelle Liser, and advocate and former star of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, was Isaiah Washington. The hearing was held before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights, chaired by Smith. Smith is author of the bill, and Rep. Bobby Rush (IL-01) is the coauthor. H.R. 1777 encourages members of the African Diaspora to increase their involvement in U.S.-Africa trade. Small and medium-sized businesses in the United States accounted for 60 percent of U.S. exports in 2010, and traditional and recent members of the African Diaspora are most evident in these categories. The legislation calls for not less than 25 percent of existing available trade financing be used for U.S.-Africa projects, especially small and medium-sized businesses. The legislation is intended to stimulate U.S. bilateral trade with Africa and boost American exports to Africa by 200 percent within 10 years. African of… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362418 | Smith a Leader in Effort Calling on Iranian Gov’t to Free American Pastor | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) today led an effort in the House Foreign Affairs committee calling on the Government of Iran to release a U.S. citizen, Pastor Saeed Abedini, or face additional sanctions. By unanimously consent, the full committee accepted Smith’s amendment to broaden and revise pending legislation, H.Res. 147, introduced by Rep. Bill Cassidy back in April. The updated provisions, which Cassidy supports, reflect new and more serious dangers the unjustly imprisoned pastor faces and help ready the bill for consideration by the full House of Representatives. “Pastor Abedini has endured beatings, psychological torture and worse because he will not deny his Christian faith,” said Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Smith noted with alarm that Abedini was recently transferred from a prison for political and non-violent inmates to a notorious prison housing hardened criminals, including murderers and rapists. “He is now in a prison where we are very fearful for his life.” The resolution which calls for the release of Abedini, an Iranian-American and resident of Idaho who has been imprisoned for more than a year, also calls on the United States Government to work aggressively for the quick release of Abedini by designating additional Iranian officials, as appropriate, for human rights abuses pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010. Smith quoted extensively from testimony given by the pastor’s wife, Naghmeh Abedini, also an America Citizen, at a March 2013 hearing in which she stated their two American-born children, ages 6 and 4, are deeply hurting from their father’s imprisonment: “A day does not go by that they do not long for him. Most nights they cry themselves to sleep, wanting daddy home… it is unfortunate that Christians are the number one persecuted people in the world, but not much attention and effort is taken to protect their religious liberty… because of his love for the Iranian peopl… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362114 | Crisis in the Central African Republic Focus of Congressional Hearing | 2013-11-19 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), where the notorious criminal Joseph Kony roams and abducts and forces children to serve as his soldiers, and where foreign Islamic radical fighters of the group called Seleka are wreaking death and destruction, was the focus of a hearing held Tuesday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees Africa. Smith said that even since the committee first decided months ago to hold a hearing to spotlight the human rights situation in the CAR, the situation has rapidly deteriorated. “Today the country is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe,” Smith said. “And if that is not bad enough, elsewhere, the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, under the psychotic leader Joseph Kony is also loose in the Central African Republic. Both the LRA and Seleka are said to kidnap children to serve as soldiers, and UNICEF estimates that there are now as many as 3,500 child soldiers affiliated with armed groups in the country.” Click here to read Chairman Smith’s full statement. The hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs’s Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations entitled “Crisis in the Central African Republic” featured Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Robert P. Jackson, Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State; Bishop Nestor-Désiré Nongo-Aziagbia, Bishop of Bossangoa in the CAR; Search for Common Ground Senior Programme Manager for Africa, Mike Jobbins, and; Human Rights Watch’s United Nations Director, Philippe Bolopion. Click here to read their testimony. Bishop Nongo-Aziagbia, whose diocese includes 623,000 people including 360,000 Catholics, said 35,000 people have taken refuge in his diocesan compound alone to escape violence, and there are as many as 440,000 refugees in a country of about 4.5 million. One in four are at serious risk of running out of food, he said. He urged the U.S. to rally the international co… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://lobiondo.house.gov/event/chamber-commerce-southern-new-jerseys-congressional-action-committee-breakfast | Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey's Congressional Action Committee Breakfast | 2013-11-19 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | lobiondo.house.gov | legacy | Start: December 6, 2013 9:00 am End: December 6, 2013 10:30 am Location: Pittsgrove, New Jersey | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361882 | Smith Guest on BBC to Discuss China's Draconian One-Child Policy & Its Announced Modifications | 2013-11-18 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chair of the House global human rights subcommittee and co-chair of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, was a guest on BBC to discussed China's brutal One Child Policy and the limited impact of the so-called revised one-child policy announced by China Nov. 15. “The announced minimal change in China’s one-child policy is grossly inadequate in light of the coercion they have employed for three decades against women and children,” Smith said. “Left unchanged is the Chinese government’s strangle-hold on deciding who can have children, when they can have children and how many children a family can have. Click on image above or here to watch the interview the interview. “The policy does nothing to address the regular use of forced abortion, when women are dragged into clinics where their children are then killed. “Until the Chinese government abolishes all coercion in their population control program, until they eliminate once and for all the use of forced abortion, its program will still be the most draconian in the world,” he said. Smith cited reports indicating that it was not new-found respect for fundamental human rights that brought the minimal change, but rather the government’s desire to bolster its own economy and power. “Perhaps motivated by the tens of millions fewer girls than boys as well as the ticking social time bomb of an aging population with fewer new workers and family members to care for the elderly, the token policy change now only allows a second child to live if that child has an urban-dwelling parent who is from a one child family. “This is currently allowed for rural families and does little to address the brutality of the program and the grave injustices Chinese women and families face if they seek to have children without government permission,” Smith said. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361777 | Reps. Smith & Waters Commemorate National Memory Screening Day | 2013-11-16 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Reps. Smith & Waters Commemorate National Memory Screening Day Bipartisan House Alzheimer’s Caucus and the Alzheimer’s Foundation Call Attention to No-Cost Screenings on Nov. 19 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), House co-Chairs of the Bipartisan, Bicameral Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, today encouraged participation in the 11th annual National Memory Screening Day on Nov. 19. “Having worked with the dedicated men and women of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) for many years, I am grateful for their consistent workin raising Alzheimer’s awareness and the benefits of early detection and memory screenings. Their lead in a coordinated, organized effort helps ensure that Americans have access to the safe evaluation tools that can indicate if further evaluation is warranted,” said Smith. “National Memory Screening Day is a wonderful opportunity for individuals with memory concerns to get free and confidential screenings for Alzheimer’s disease and other problems affecting memory,” said Waters. “It is also an opportunity to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and promote the value of memory screening and early detection.” AFA initiated the first National Memory Screening Day in 2003 and holds the event in collaboration with local organizations and healthcare professionals each November during National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and affects more than 5.4 million Americans, one in eight seniors. The disease, which is characterized by steadily deteriorating loss of thinking, reasoning and memory skills, has a devastating impact on those with the disease but can also take an enormous toll on the 15 million family members and others who act as caregivers to those in need. In New Jersey, an estimated 150,000 individuals over 65 have Alzheimer’s, and nearly 430,000 car… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362005 | Hearing on Central African Republic Crisis Set for Nov. 19 | 2013-11-16 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Hearing on Central African Republic Crisis Set for Nov. 19 f t # e Washington, Nov 16, 2013 The ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic will be the subject of a hearing to be held Tuesday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees Africa. The hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs’s Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations will be held in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing, entitled “Crisis in the Central African Republic” will feature the highest Administration official on African policy and a human rights leader. Who: Rep. Smith, and other members of the House Africa subcommittee, and witnesses: The Honorable Robert P. Jackson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State The Most Reverend Nestor-Désiré Nongo-Aziagbia, Roman Catholic Bishop of Bossangoa, Central African Republic Mike Jobbins, Senior Programme Manager, Africa, Search for Common Ground Philippe Bolopion, United Nations Director, Human Rights Watch When: Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. Where: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172 (first floor) f t # e | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361775 | China’s 'Eased' One-Child Policy Still the Most Draconian in the World | 2013-11-15 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the House human rights subcommittee and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China raised serious questions about the limited impact of the so-called revised one-child policy announced by China today. “Let’s be clear, nothing in today’s announcement changes the brutal, abusive elements of China’s population control program in which women’s cycles are monitored by the government. Women must still get a birth permit before they can have a child, and fines and penalties will continue for anyone who has a child without government permission. “The announced minimal change in China’s one-child policy is grossly inadequate in light of the coercion they have employed for three decades against women and children,” Smith said. “Left unchanged is the Chinese government’s strangle-hold on deciding who can have children, when they can have children and how many children a family can have. “The policy does nothing to address the regular use of forced abortion, when women are dragged into clinics where their children are then killed. “Until the Chinese government abolishes all coercion in their population control program, until they eliminate once and for all the use of forced abortion, its program will still be the most draconian in the world,” he said. Smith cited reports indicating that it was not new-found respect for fundamental human rights that brought the minimal change, but rather the government’s desire to bolster its own economy and power. “Perhaps motivated by the tens of millions fewer girls than boys as well as the ticking social time bomb of an aging population with fewer new workers and family members to care for the elderly, the token policy change now only allows a second child to live if that child has an urban-dwelling parent who is from a one child family. “This is currently allowed for rural families and does little to address the brutality of the program and the grave injustices Chinese women and families face if the… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=767 | Frelinghuysen Statement: Department of Defense Resources Track Philippines Storm Relief Efforts | 2013-11-15 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | DOD Resources Track Philippines Storm Relief Efforts Washington, DC -- The U.S. Department of Defense has launched web sources of updated information for residents interested in ongoing typhoon relief efforts in the Philippines Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) has announced. “Our hearts go out to the many Filipino-Americans living in New Jersey who have lost loved ones or been otherwise affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan,” Frelinghuysen said. “In keeping with our finest humanitarian traditions, the United States is leading the way in to providing timely emergency assistance and relief.” The government of the Philippines requested relief from the U.S. in the wake of one of the worst storms in that country’s history. The U.S. Marine Corps estimates 4.2 million people have been affected. The death toll has reportedly reached 2,275. That figure is expected to rise, perhaps significantly, when accurate information is collected from the entire disaster zone, which spreads over a wide area of the eastern and central Philippines. The United States Navy, Marine Corps and the Agency for International Development are providing humanitarian relief efforts. To assist, the Navy has dispatched the George Washington Strike Group which consists of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, cruisers USS Cowpens and USS Antietam, guided-missile destroyers USS Lassen and USS Mustin and cargo ship USNS Charles Drew, oceanographic survey ship USNS Bowditch, and submarine tender USS Emory S. Land. About 300 U.S. Marines are currently on the ground aiding relief efforts in the Philippines. Another 900 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based on Okinawa are deploying aboard the dock landing ships USS Germantown and USS Ashland, and are expected to arrive in the Philippines next week. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft have been flying missions in the Philippines, and more of those aircraft are on the way. Residents can keep track of U.S. military efforts to help the people of the Ph… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361344 | <span class="kicker">Associated Press Article</span>2 Nigerian networks designated as terrorist groups | 2013-11-14 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | By DEB RIECHMANN - Associated Press - Lawmakers who had long pushed for U.S. action against Nigerian Islamic extremists welcomed the State Department's decision on Wednesday to designate two militant groups as foreign terrorist organizations blamed for the deaths of thousands of people in Africa's most populous nation. Ansaru and Boko Haram, which have links to al-Qaida, are waging a brutal campaign against military, government and civilian targets, including Christians like Habila Adamu, who delivered emotional congressional testimony about being shot in the face because he refused to renounce his faith. Adamu recounted how masked gunmen came to his home in Yobe state around 11 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2012. "I told them 'I'm ready to die as a Christian.' Before I closed my mouth, one of them fired at me with an AK-47. It passed through my nose," Adamu said, holding up photographs taken of the entry wound on his nose and exit wound on the side of his neck. "I fell down. ... Blood is rushing everywhere. One of them followed me, stepped on me two times to confirm whether I am still alive or I am dead." When they assumed he was dead, they shouted "Allah akbar," which means "Allah is great." Even his wife thought he was dead. When she learned he was alive, she rushed to find help, only to learn that their neighbors, who also were Christians, had been killed. About seven hours later, Adamu was taken for medical treatment and survived. Today, he has a message for anyone who will hear his story: "Do everything that you can to end this ruthless, religious persecution in northern Nigeria." Adamu testified at a joint hearing of two House Foreign Affairs' subcommittees, on Africa and terrorism. New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, said Boko Haram also is targeting their fellow Muslims who do not agree with their extremist views, Muslim religious leaders who criticize violence and people affiliated with the Nigerian government, which they see as corrupt and unjust. Smit… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222035932/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-applauds-new-air-service-acy | LoBiondo Applauds New Air Service at ACY | 2013-11-14 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02), Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, today applauded the announcement that United Airlines will now fly in and out of Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) from their hubs in Chicago and Houston. The announcement was made this morning by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with representatives from United Airlines, the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) at Newark Liberty Airport, a hub for United Airlines. “Today’s announcement is a win-win for South Jersey and United Airlines. I’ve long said that ACY is an attractive option for additional commercial carrier service, with its updated facilities, proximity to Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore as well as its convenience to the Philadelphia metropolitan region. Starting in 2014, United Airlines will capitalize on what ACY has to offer while giving South Jersey consumers and businesses greater access to the nation’s vast aviation network,” said LoBiondo. “For our tourism-based economy, connecting additional regions of the country to South Jersey is critical and will bring additional economic opportunities and the potential for new jobs.” On July 1st, an agreement between the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey and the STJA took affect with the Port Authority providing general management services, including overseeing the daily business operations of ACY. The SJTA maintains operations and direction over the airport. At that time the Port Authority stated the goal of bringing additional commercial carrier services to ACY. Spirit Airlines is currently the only commercial service at ACY. “I applaud Governor Christie, Sam Donelson at the SJTA, and the leadership at the Port of New York/New Jersey for recognizing the untapped potential at ACY and working in unison to increase commercial air service to our region. I look forward to formally welcoming United Airlines to ACY next year,” concluded LoBiondo. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361289 | Smith Welcomes Designation of Boko Haram as Terrorist Organization | 2013-11-13 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | At the Nov. 13 joint hearing by the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations and the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, the Obama Administration announced its long-awaited decision to designate the Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram and its breakaway faction known as Ansaru as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This designation was the subject of H.R. 3209, introduced by Chairman Chris Smith (NJ-04) of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations in September. He has been joined as co-sponsors by Reps. Patrick Meehan, Ted Poe and Randy Weber. Chairman Smith led a Congressional delegation to Nigeria in September to examine the Boko Haram threat. “I saw numerous victims of Boko Haram, who told my delegation of the horrific violence these terrorists have used on Christians and Muslims in pursuit of a perverted version of Islam,” Smith said. “What these murderers have brought to Nigeria and surrounding countries is misery and death.” (click here to read Chairman's statement) One of Boko Haram’s victims, Habila Adamu of Yobe State, presented testimony at today’s hearing on his chilling encounter with Islamist terrorist. Adamu said he was challenged to renounce his Christian faith, but when he refused to do so, he was shot in the head and left for dead. He was the only adult male Christian survivor of that attack. “Mr. Adamu’s testimony on the one hand is a terrifying example of the ruthlessness of Boko Haram, but on the other hand, it is one of the most inspiring examples of faith I have ever heard,” Smith said. “Then they asked me, ‘Habila, are you ready to die as a Christian?’” Adamu told the panel. “I told them ‘I am ready to die as a Christian.’ For the second time, they asked me, “Are you ready to die as a Christian?” and I told them, “I am ready,” but before I closed my mouth, they have fired me through my noise (the entering po… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361312 | Rep. Smith says Obamacare Massively Violates Hyde Amendment, but Notes Most 'Multi-State Plans' Exclude Abortion | 2013-11-13 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | “Rollout of the Obamacare exchanges revealed that many health insurance plans throughout the nation will subsidize abortion on demand—even late term abortions,” said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Co-Chairman of the Congressional Pro-life Caucus. “Billions of taxpayers’ dollars will now be handed out as credits to buy pro-abortion health insurance—a clear violation of the Hyde Amendment’s fundamental principle of restricting funds to abortion subsidizing health insurance plans. At its core, the Hyde Amendment has two parts. It prohibits funding for abortion and funding for any insurance plan that includes abortion except in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother,” Smith said. “Obamacare further breaks with longstanding law by establishing new abortion surcharges and an unseemly marketing secrecy clause. The new law requires premium payers to be assessed an abortion surcharge every month to pay for abortions. But many pro-life Americans may unwittingly purchase pro-abortion plans because of a marketing secrecy clause,” said Smith. “For pro-life individuals seeking health insurance on the exchange in the states with Multi-State Plans available, it will be a relief to know that with only two exceptions, any of the Blue Cross Blue Shield plans with ‘Multi-State’ in their title will exclude elective abortion,” Smith said. He also noted that “in many cases Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans that do not include the words ‘Multi-State’ in their title will include elective abortion. Since abortion coverage is not clearly identified on the exchange websites, consumers may have difficulty identifying which plans exclude abortion.” In response to a letter spearheaded by Rep. Smith (R-NJ), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has confirmed that all but two of the plans with “Multi-State Plan” in their title and sold on the Obamacare exchanges exclude elective abortion coverage. In a letter, OPM made this important clarification regarding Multi-State Plans, which constitute a small segment of just… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361364 | <span class="kicker">Agence France-Presse</span>US blacklists Nigeria's Boko Haram as terror group | 2013-11-13 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The United States on Wednesday designated Nigeria's radical Islamist Boko Haram network and an offshoot known as Ansaru as terror groups, bowing to months of pressure to act. Both groups have spread terror in northeastern and central Nigeria and are blamed for thousands of deaths as they battle to set up an Islamic state. "These designations are an important and appropriate step, but only one tool in what must be a comprehensive approach by the Nigerian government to counter these groups ... to help root out violent extremism," the State Department said. The Islamist insurgency by the shadowy group has claimed scores of lives since 2009 and triggered concern over its potential to spread across the porous borders in the region. "By cutting these terrorist organizations off from US financial institutions and enabling banks to freeze assets held in the United States, these designations demonstrate our strong support for Nigeria's fight against terrorism and its efforts to address security challenges in the north," White House homeland security advisor Lisa Monaco said. Nigeria welcomed the decision and hoped that the United States would step up intelligence cooperation. "We salute the US government for its effort in partnering with Nigeria to rout out terrorism," Justice Minister Mohammed Adoke told AFP in Nigeria. "We hope that with this development that the Boko Haram menace will soon become a thing of the past," he said. In July, the State Department offered a $7 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, but raised eyebrows by stopping short of designating the group as a foreign terrorist organization. While Washington believes that Boko Haram and Ansaru remain "primarily" Nigerian organizations, "both these groups have links to AQIM," a senior State Department official told reporters, referring to Al-Qaeda's north and west African affiliate. "Our assessment is that AQIM has helped provide some training to the groups and has provided some limited financin… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=766 | Frelinghuysen Statement: Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairmanship | 2013-11-13 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | Frelinghuysen is New Chairman of House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Washington, D.C. – Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) has been named the new Chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. He succeeds the late Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who passed away last month. “I am grateful to Chairman Rogers and the House Leadership for giving me this responsibility. The security and budget challenges we face are real and dramatic. The job before us is to provide for a strong national defense and support the men and women who provide for that defense each and every day.” The announcement was made today by the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Hal Rogers (KY). “Rodney is a thoughtful, steady, and strong leader, is staunchly dedicated to doing what is best for the country and his district, and has a determined focus that allows him to rise above politics to get things done. He has an unwavering devotion to the safety and security of our nation, and to the care and protection of our men and women in uniform, and I know he will be a great leader of the Defense subcommittee,” Chairman Rogers said. Frelinghuysen has served on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee since 1999. Most recently he served as the panel’s Vice-Chairman. The Subcommittee is charged each year with producing legislation that provides funding for critical national security needs and the resources needed to continue the nation’s military efforts abroad. In addition, the bill provides essential funding for health and quality of life programs for the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040013/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-introduces-permanent-moratorium-fines-incidental-discharges-commercial | LoBiondo Introduces Permanent Moratorium on Fines for Incidental Discharges from Commercial Fishing Vessels | 2013-11-13 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02), a senior member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, has introduced a permanent moratorium from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state regulations and fines governing incidental discharges from commercial fishing vessels and all other commercial vessels less than 79 feet. The “Commercial Vessel Discharges Reform Act of 2013” is the latest effort by LoBiondo to protect South Jersey’s critical commercial fishing industry. “Starting in December 2014, commercial fishermen, charter and tour boat operators, and owners of other commercial vessels less than 79 feet will have to apply for and receive individual permits from the EPA to discharge from their vessels such things as deck wash, bilge water, and the condensation from air conditioning units. Vessels that operate without these permits could be subject to citizen lawsuits and daily fines that exceed $32,000 per violation. Furthermore, the EPA has informed Congress that they do not have the resources to process more than 135,000 permits that would be required,” said LoBiondo. “With our stagnant economy, the government must not enact federal penalties which could discourage economic growth and job creation. The fines that are scheduled to be levied against our commercial fishermen for incidental charges will be devastating to local South Jersey businesses.” In 2006, a federal court in California ruled that the EPA had to regulate the release of ballast water, bilge water, deck wash, rain water runoff and other incidental discharges from vessels under the Clean Water Act. Two (2) federal agencies and over 28 states have added additional and often contradictory regulations on top of the federal standard. "This is welcome news to our party, charter boat and private fleets. Frank has fought off the demons every time this issue came up. Now let’s hope we can make this permanent and we can carry on our day to day activities without this burden,” Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040057/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-applauds-disaster-declaration-south-jersey-counties-affected-excessive | LoBiondo Applauds Disaster Declaration for South Jersey Counties Affected by Excessive Weather This Past Summer | 2013-11-13 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) today announced that significant agricultural production losses in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem have warranted a Secretarial disaster declaration by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The declaration cites the combined effects of excessive rain, related flooding, high winds and hail that occurred from May 2013 through September 24th. “The sheer amount of rain, flooding and extreme weather that South Jersey experienced this past summer was far beyond what our farms and crops could handle. It was appropriate to request federal assistance and I’m pleased USDA Secretary Vilsack has granted a Secretarial disaster declaration across the region,” said LoBiondo. “With this declaration, farm operators will have access to emergency loans through the Farm Service Agency to recoup their losses and rebuild their operations. I appreciate Governor Christie’s efforts to ensure the critically-important agricultural sector of our state – and the backbone of South Jersey – was not forgotten.” LoBiondo supported multiple applications for disaster declarations for South Jersey farmers due to various extreme weather conditions in the past few years. Mercer and Monmouth Counties were also included as contiguous disaster counties in today’s Secretarial disaster designation. The official USDA letter to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is attached. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://lobiondo.house.gov/event/christmas-0 | Christmas | 2013-11-12 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | lobiondo.house.gov | legacy | Christmas - Offices Closed Start: December 25, 2013 End: December 25, 2013 Nov 12, 2013 | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361123 | Terror Group ‘Boko Haram’ Focus of Joint House Hearing | 2013-11-11 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The notorious terror group called Boko Haram will be the topic of a joint hearing to be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) will chair the hearing on an organization dedicated to terrorism, and why the group should be declared a foreign terrorist organization. “Boko Haram, even given the breakaway group known as Ansaru, clearly is an organization dedicated to terrorizing Nigerians and now even foreigners,” Chairman Smith said. “The group should be declared a Foreign Terrorist organization as they fit the entire definition, and our hearing is intended to demonstrate why this declaration has become imperative for our government to confirm.” WHAT: Joint congressional hearing of both the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade. Entitled “The Continuing Threat of Boko Haram,” the joint hearing will feature key Administration and human rights organizations witnesses. WHO: Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State Emmanuel Ogebe, Managing Partner, U.S.-Nigeria Law Group Khalid Aliyu, Secretary General, Jama’atu Nasril Islam (via videoconference) Habila Adamu, survivor of violence by Boko Haram Jacob Zenn, Research Analyst, The Jamestown Foundation WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m. WHERE: Room 2200 in the Rayburn House Office Building (second floor). | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361121 | <span class="kicker">Associated Press Article</span>$25M beach replenishment work starts in Manasquan | 2013-11-08 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | By The Associated Press WAYNE PARRY (AP) -- Wider beaches are on the way for some Jersey shore towns whose coast took a pounding during Superstorm Sandy as a $25 million beach replenishment project led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins Friday in Manasquan. "Right after Superstorm Sandy, I remember seeing the devastation," said U.S Rep. Christopher Smith, a Republican who represents some of the affected towns. "We've got to replenish, we've got to rebuild the dunes because they did mitigate the loss. The damage would have been far worse had the Army Corps projects not been in place." But the project that will widen beaches from Manasquan north to Belmar will not include restoring dunes that washed away during Sandy last year. That would have to be done under a separate project, possibly funded by state and local governments The work is among several beach restoration projects that were done this year, or that will begin next spring or summer. Work on the northern Monmouth County shoreline including Sea Bright was done earlier this year, as were projects in three towns on Long Beach Island in Ocean County. Additional projects in Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties could get underway next spring or early summer, said Ed Voigt, a spokesman for the Army Corps. Those projects include the southern end of Ocean City, along with Strathmere and Sea Isle City, and additional towns on Long Beach Island. Beach replenishment should be completed by December in Ventnor, he said. The work will widen beaches, some of which have eroded to just 75 feet wide, to a width of 150 to 250 feet. Normally, the Army Corps would be authorized to return the beaches only to their pre-storm condition. But special authorization after last year's devastating storm gave the Corps permission to restore the beaches to their fully-built design condition, a state last achieved in 1997, according to Anthony Ciorra, a Superstorm Sandy project manager for the Army Corps. Much of Manasquan's beachfront was dev… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=361127 | $25M beach replenishment project to start Friday in Manasquan | 2013-11-08 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | A $25 million federally funded project aimed at replenishing the beaches from Manasquan to Belmar will start on Friday, officials said. Anthony Ciorra, sandy coastal recovery program manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District, said 1.5 million cubic yards of sand would be placed on the beach. That sand is part of a total of 8 million cubic yards being placed from Sea Bright to Manasquan. “The Corps of Engineers mission is primarily coastal flood risk reduction ensuring that these projects and these beaches are in place to reduce the risk to flooding to the highly populated, densely developed coastal communities along this project,” Ciorra said. Contractors will use hydraulics to pump sand from nearly 1.5 miles offshore of Sandy Hook, Ciorra said. The existing beach at its narrowest point is approximately 75 feet and the beaches will ultimately be 150 to 250 feet wide, restoring it to the conditions in 1997, he said. But more important than beach width, officials said, is the height of the beach, which will be raised six to eight feet on average. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) said the restorative project had previously been approved but there was never funding available. He said he was in Manasquan right after Hurricane Sandy hit the area and it has come a long way. “When we walked along this frontal area to the beach, the smell of gas … was overwhelming. There were gas leaks. Most of the first floors were just filled with sand and what a difference a year makes,” Smith said. “The reparative efforts that have been made over the course of the last year have been monumental and transformational. People are back.” Smith praised the mayor, council and emergency management team for assisting residents after the storm, despite their own home damage. “It is really a testament to leadership and the resilience of the people,” Smith said. Smith said he and others from the New Jersey delegation lobbied aggressively after Hurricane … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=360623 | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Breaks Ground on $25M Project to Repair Southern Monmouth Beaches | 2013-11-07 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The long-awaited $25 million beach southern Monmouth County replenishment project kicked off today with a ground-breaking ceremony on Manasquan Beach. Hurricane Sandy caused severe beach erosion along the five-mile stretch of the project. The massive beach re-nourishment work to repair and restore the beach to better than pre-Sandy conditions starts tomorrow. “I was here on this very beach in the days after the storm with Mayor Dempsey and his team and it was a near unimaginable scene of destroyed homes, broken gas lines and crumbled debris,” Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said. “The beach was gone. Today and over the next four months of this project, the Corps will rebuild these beaches and the lives of the people from Manasquan, as well as Sea Girt, Spring Lake, and Belmar.” Joining the Congressman on the beach was Anthony Ciorra, Chief of Coastal Restoration & Special Projects Branch, and Paul Jalowski, Project Engineer, both of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from the USACE Region II (New York District). Present from the Borough of Manasquan were Mayor George Dempsey, Council President Ed Donovan, Councilman Owen McCarthy, Councilman Joe Bossone, Councilman Gregg Olivera, Councilman Mike Sinneck and Borough Attorney Mark Kitrick. Also present was J.C. Krause, Division Manager of The Dutra Group of San Rafael, Ca., the contracting company which has been putting in place heavy construction equipment over the past several days. The total cost of the project is $25,254,400. The project is funded 100 percent by the federal government through the Army Corps’ Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) account. Dredging will take approximately 125 days to complete. The project will pump roughly 1,500,000 cubic yards of sand onto Manasquan, Sea Girt, Spring Lake and Belmar beaches. “The reconstruction of this project will provide our shore communities and the families who reside along the shore with critical storm, surge and flood protection in the event of future storms,” Smith said. “New Jersey’… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040133/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-statement-retirement-new-jersey-rep-jon-runyan | LoBiondo Statement on Retirement of New Jersey Rep. Jon Runyan | 2013-11-06 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | MAYS LANDING, N.J. – U.S. Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) today released the following statement upon the news of fellow New Jersey Representative Jon Runyan’s (NJ-03) decision not to seek re-election: "I respect the choice Congressman Runyan made for himself and his family. It has been an honor to serve with him, working on critical issues that affect both our South Jersey districts. His voice on both veterans and military issues will be greatly missed. I wish Jon the best going forward." ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://lobiondo.house.gov/event/upper-deerfield-townships-annual-veterans-day-ceremony-0 | Upper Deerfield Township's Annual Veterans' Day Ceremony | 2013-11-04 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | lobiondo.house.gov | legacy | Start: November 9, 2013 10:00 am End: November 9, 2013 11:00 am Location: Veterans Monument - Route 77 , Seabrook, New Jersey | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=359966 | FEMA OK’s $1 Million for Sewer Station Heavily Damaged by Superstorm Sandy | 2013-10-31 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The South Monmouth Regional Sewage Authority (SMRSA) received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has awarded more than $1 million to help pay to undo extensive Superstorm Sandy-related damage to the Authority’s Pitney Avenue Pump Station, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said Thursday. The grant will provide $1,081,285 in Federal funding to pay for 90 percent of the $1,201,428 cost to rebuild the pump station. “Sandy damaged critical infrastructure up-and-down the coast,” said Smith, who toured damage throughout Monmouth and other counties in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. “This grant will help replace a pump station located in Spring Lake that was essentially destroyed and has been bypassed for the past year.” Smith earlier this year took a lead role in obtaining $60 billion in federal disaster relief funding for Superstorm Sandy victims. At a June meeting in Smith’s Washington Office, Smith personally appealed to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to approve a 90 percent federal share for FEMA funding going to Jersey towns to pay for cleanup costs—instead of the initially planned 75 percent. Fugate approved the 90 percent ratio several weeks later. The higher cost ratio will provide the authority with an additional $180,000 for the project. During the storm, the Pitney Avenue pump station’s electrical and mechanical equipment was severely damaged and rendered inoperable as a result of flooding from storm surge and Lake Como, which breeched its bank. Through this grant, the existing pump station building will be demolished and replaced with a mobile-enclosure concept. The new design will have the same capacity and function while mitigating potential damages from future flooding. According to SMRSA Executive Director Michael Ruppel, the authority is not rebuilding the facility the same way, but rather incorporating a state-of-the-art approach that will create a high degree of resiliency into new pump station to much more resistant to weather events. Whe… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040217/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-announces-open-application-period-assistance-firefighters-grants-program | LoBiondo Announces Open Application Period for Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program | 2013-10-31 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – After hosting two fire grant workshops for 2nd Congressional District fire and rescue departments in August, U.S. Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) today announced the open period to apply for federal funding under the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program (AFGP). The application period will begin on Monday and will run through Friday, December 6th with awards being announced in 2014. “Day in and day out, the men and women of our fire and rescue units are the first responders to emergency events in our communities. In addition to our deep gratitude, they deserve our support and available federal resources to assist them in their efforts to keep us safe,” said LoBiondo, a member of the Congressional Fire Caucus. “Particularly in these difficult economic times, I strongly encourage the fire and rescue departments of South Jersey to take advantage of this critical funding source.” AFGP competitive funding is used by the nation’s fire and rescue departments to increase the effectiveness of firefighting and emergency response operations and to improve personnel health and safety programs. The Fiscal Year 2013 program will distribute nearly $321 million to first responder organizations across the country. Since the program began in 2001, 123 of New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District fire organizations have received more than $22 million under AFGP. Grant guidance will be available at www.grants.gov, and at www.fema.gov/firegrants/afggrants/index.shtm. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=359804 | Cong. Smith's Syrian War Crimes Tribunal Bill Topic of Joint House Hearing | 2013-10-30 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The establishment of a Syrian War Crimes Tribunal was the topic of a joint hearing today of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith chaired the hearing. “The two-year-old Syrian civil war has produced increasingly horrific human rights violations, including summary executions, torture and rape,” said Smith, author of a bill to support the creation of a tribunal. “Since the Syrian civil war began, more than 100,000 people have been killed and nearly seven million people have been forced to leave their homes. “Those who have perpetrated human rights violations among the Syrian government, the rebels and the foreign fighters on both sides of this conflict must be shown that their actions will have serious consequences,” Smith said. Smith’s legislation, H. Con. Res. 51, introduced on Sept. 9, calls for the creation of an international tribunal that would be more flexible and efficient than the International Criminal Court to ensure accountability for human rights violations committed by all sides. The hearing, entitled “Establishing a Syrian War Crimes Tribunal,” included witnesses: David M. Crane, former Chief Prosecutor, United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone; Dr. Alan White, former Chief Investigator, United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone; Jeremy Rabkin, Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law; Stephen G. Rademaker, National Security Project Advisor at the Bipartisan Policy Center, and; Richard Dicker, Director, International Justice Program, Human Rights Watch. Click here to read their statements. Crane said that Basir Al Assad, accused of using sarin gas in his own capital of Damascus in August 2013, could be prosecuted for international crimes similar to former Liberian President Charles Taylor. “Over the past 20 years, the international community, in most instances led by the United States, has developed what I call the mo… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=357068 | Blind Human Rights Activist Chen, Family of Jailed Writer Focus on Plight of Guo at Congressional Hearing | 2013-10-29 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Blind Human Rights Activist Chen, Family of Jailed Writer Focus on Plight of Guo at Congressional Hearing Human rights leader remains imprisoned by Chinese Gov't f t # e Washington, Oct 29, 2013 | Jeff Sagnip ((202) 225-3765) The re-arrest of writer and human rights defender Guo Feixiong in China was the focus of a press conference and hearing held today by Chairman Chris Smith (NJ-04) of the House global human rights subcommittee and co-chairman of the U.S. Congressional-Executive China Commission, along with other Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Guo's wife and daughter and other hearing witnesses tried to bring attention to Guo’s plight. Testifying at a hearing entitled “Guo Feixiong and Freedom of Expression in China,” were Chen Guangcheng, the blind human rights lawyer and ex-political prisoner of the Chinese government who escaped from house arrest in 2012 amid an international furor, reached the U.S. Embassy in Bejing, and eventually settled in the U.S.; Zhang Qing, wife of Guo Feixiong and Yang “Sara” Tianjiao, his daughter; Pastor Bob Fu, Founder and President, ChinaAid Association, and; T. Kumar of Amnesty International (AI). Guo’s daughter, Tianjiao “Sara” Yang, told reporters and the congressional panel she was grateful to have opportunity to speak about her father whom she last saw seven years ago in 2006 when she was only 10. She recounted how he bought her a video game, and how they played it almost every day during that summer. But on Sept. 14, 2006 when she came back from school, he was gone. “I have not seen him since that day,” she said. “I did not even have a chance to say ‘bye’ or ‘I love you’ to him. Over the past seven years, I have dreamed about him a lot. I dreamed that he would play that video game with me again so we could pass… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=357074 | Syrian War Crimes Tribunal Bill Topic of Joint House Hearing Oct. 30 | 2013-10-29 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The establishment of a Syrian War Crimes Tribunal will be the topic of a joint hearing Wednesday by the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building:WHEN: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 1:30 p.m. WHAT: Establishing a Syrian War Crimes Tribunal WHERE: 2172 Rayburn House Office Building WHO: Chairman Chris Smith, author of legislation to create a Syrian War Crimes Tribunal, and Chairwoman Ros-Lehtin, and witnesses: David M. Crane, Professor of Practice, Syracuse University College of Law (Former Chief Prosecutor, United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone) Alan White, Ph.D., President, AW Associates (Former Chief Investigator, United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone)The Honorable Jeremy Rabkin, Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law The Honorable Stephen G. Rademaker, National Security Project Advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center Richard Dicker, Director, International Justice Program, Human Rights Watch | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://lobiondo.house.gov/sandy-one-year-later-where-we-succeeded-where-we-still-fight | Sandy One Year Later: Where We Succeeded & Where We Still Fight | 2013-10-29 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | lobiondo.house.gov | legacy | Tonight residents of New Jersey will publicly gather with their neighbors or privately with their families to mark the anniversary of a day we'd all rather forget. One year later, the physical, emotional and financial scars of Hurricane Sandy remain visible in many communities. No one questions the challenges and setbacks New Jersey has faced since Sandy, just as no one doubts our resilience and determination to rebuild stronger and smarter. It is critical at this junction to recognize where we have succeeded in our recovery and where we still must fight. In the past year, New Jersey and other Sandy-affected states have had to rightly justify each federal dollar of emergency aid requested. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo were thoughtful, comprehensive and responsible in their requests, identifying projects such as mass transit repairs, shore and flood protection efforts and public infrastructure systems that required immediate attention. They also sought to mitigate potential destruction from future storms by making long-term, strategic decisions during rebuilding, including shore protection measures up and down the coast. While adding weeks to the rebuilding process, necessary Federal Emergency Management Agency reforms better protected taxpayers following the billions of wasted dollars in response to Hurricane Katrina. We will not soon forget the intentional delays by some in Congress in approving the $51 billion Sandy Emergency Supplemental Aid package, unnecessarily creating a disaster in dealing with a disaster. However, we also did not turn vengeful when states such as Colorado and Oklahoma requested federal aid in the aftermath of their deadly floods and tornadoes. We stood strong in solidarity and support in their time of need. Throughout the past year, we've proven why being "Jersey Strong" does not mean sacrificing our compassion and commitment to our fellow Americans. In other areas, the fight goes on. The effort continues to secure equitable treatment for South Jer… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040257/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/bipartisan-coalition-more-50-introduces-legislation-address-flood-insurance-rate | Bipartisan Coalition of More Than 50 Introduces Legislation to Address Flood Insurance Rate Increases | 2013-10-29 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, DC – On the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, a broad, bipartisan coalition of 55 members of the House of Representatives have introduced a legislative solution to fix the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and ensure changes are implemented affordably. The legislation, led by Representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA), Michael Grimm (R-NY), Cedric Richmond (D-LA) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), calls for a four-year delay to the program, requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to complete an affordability study and propose a framework that addresses affordability issues. A companion measure has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA). Specifically, the legislation will accomplish the following: Imposes a delay likely to total four years for the most vulnerable properties, by delaying implementation of rate increases until two years after FEMA completes an affordability study, which was mandated in Biggert-Waters but not undertaken. FEMA has estimated it will take 2 years to complete the affordability study. It would then take up to an additional 2 years for FEMA to submit an affordability framework to Congress and for Congress to review the framework. This means rate increases would be delayed for 4 years in total. The delay applies to: primary, non-repetitive loss residences that are currently grandfathered; all properties sold after July 6, 2012; and all properties that purchased a new policy after July 6, 2012. Requires FEMA to propose an affordability framework that addresses the identified affordability issues within 18 months after the completion of the study and provides 6 months for Congressional review. Allows FEMA to utilize National Flood Insurance Funds to reimburse policyholders who successfully appeal a map determination. Eliminates the 50 percent cap on state and local contributions to levee construction and reconstruction. Protects the so-called “basement exception,” which allows the lowest proofed opening in … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=356884 | <span class="kicker">Rep. Smith Speaks w/ NBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Sandy Anniversary</span>Pushes for Senate Action on Unfinished Sandy Work | 2013-10-28 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | On the eve of the first anniversary of the most powerful natural disaster to hit the Northeast, U.S. Cong. Chris Smith told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell the time has come for the U.S. Senate to act on a bipartisan bill passed by the House in February to help put houses of worship—many of which were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy and yet continued to serve ravaged coastal communities—on the same playing field with other non-profit organizations seeking disaster assistance. Smith has pointed out that “one bottleneck that still separates families, slammed by Superstorm Sandy from homecoming plans is a final flood insurance settlement.” Numerous homeowners are still finding that their offered insurance settlement is nowhere large enough to cover repairs and home contents lost while some appear to be the victim of poorly trained adjusters. Smith has sought legislative initiatives to delay the implantation of higher flood insurance rates as FEMA and will continue legislative and other solutions aimed at making flood insurance affordable. Many homeowners have complained that adjusters have been overlooking many unavoidable costs required for restoring someone’s home such as the New Jersey 7 percent sales tax. Others have mentioned that along with inaccurate construction assessments, estimates were sometimes given for the wrong heating system or the incorrect type of replacement tile, and numerous seemingly small items that adjusters failed to notice. So while perhaps individually minor, when put together such unnoticed and unreported factors can add up to thousands of dollars and can alter someone’s rebuilding decision. Smith, who took a lead role in obtaining $60 billion in federal disaster relief funding for Superstorm Sandy victims, wrote a bill, H.R. 592, called the "Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013." “FEMA has done some good things and Governor Chris Christie has stepped up to the plate, but the problem has been that houses of worship and community and faith-based or… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://lobiondo.house.gov/event/cape-may-county-veterans-day-ceremony-0 | Cape May County Veterans' Day Ceremony | 2013-10-28 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | lobiondo.house.gov | legacy | Start: November 11, 2013 2:00 pm End: November 11, 2013 3:00 pm Location: Cape May County Cemetery on Moore Road, Cape May Court House, New Jersey | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040337/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-seeks-additional-sandy-aid-bayshore-communities | LoBiondo Seeks Additional Sandy Aid for Bayshore Communities | 2013-10-28 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) today sent a letter to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie seeking additional state aid from the $1.46 billion in federal Superstorm Sandy funds just released by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development for the Bayshore communities of Cumberland County. While experiencing significant destruction to four Townships along the Delaware Bay, the level of damage across the county did not meet the federal threshold to qualify Cumberland County with the nine (9) hardest hit counties including Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean counties. The full text of the letter to Governor Christie is as follows: October 28, 2013 Dear Governor Christie: As our state receives the next portion of relief money from Washington in response to Superstorm Sandy, I wanted to contact you directly about an area of concern that I have with recovery assistance needed in the Bayshore communities of Cumberland County. As I explained in my August letter to Marc-Philip Ferzan in your office of Recovery and Rebuilding, several smaller communities – namely the Townships of Commercial, Downe, Maurice River, and Lawrence - were hit hard by the storm and have struggled with their recovery efforts during the last year. Hundreds of homeowners in these communities have been unable to get help from federal funds obligated to New Jersey due to the rules in place limiting assistance to residents in the nine most damaged counties. However, as you well know, Sandy’s impact on these Bayshore residents was just as devastating as the damage suffered by other New Jerseyans in many Jersey Shore communities. We appreciate the state’s efforts to date to assist them but, the impacted communities along the Bayshore are still reeling from the storm and the slow recovery and are in need of your commitment to help rebuild and recover alongside their coastal neighbors. I would urge you and your Administration to continue to explore every possible option to … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=356494 | <span class="kicker">Star Ledger/NJ.com article</span>Wall Township reimbursed $1.6 million for Hurricane Sandy cleanup | 2013-10-24 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Though it does not directly border the Atlantic Ocean, this Monmouth County Township has an expensive Hurricane Sandy cleanup. Wall Township received approval for a $1.6 million FEMA grant award to help pay for the extensive cleanup resulting from Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said in a Monday press release. “Nearly a year ago Wall was among the towns hit hard by Sandy,” Smith said. “The human costs in terms of disruption of homelife, community and commerce was near immeasurable, and for many people, catastrophic. But local workers rolled up their sleeves and went to work to reopen their town and get back on track to normalcy. Meanwhile, municipal governments incurred never-before-seen expenses added to their town budgets. This funding will help offset the financial impact on the township’s budget and local taxes.” Wall’s borders extend along both the Shark River Inlet to the north and the Manasquan Inlet to the south, leaving sections of the township vulnerable to the storm surge. Wall Mayor Todd Luttman said the FEMA funds will reimburse 90 percent of the town’s cleanup expenses. “We are delighted that FEMA is reimbursing Wall Township over $1.6 million for damages we incurred during Sandy, and we really appreciate all the help that Congressman Smith’s office has given us in getting resolution on this,” Luttman said. “This award reimburses the Township for work that was done on behalf of Wall residents by our Township employees. At a meeting in his Washington Office over the summer, Smith personally appealed to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to approve a 90 percent federal share for FEMA funding going to Jersey towns to pay for cleanup costs—instead of the initially planned 75 percent. Fugate approved the 90 percent ratio several weeks later. “Fortunately, Wall is expected to receive federal government assistance covering 90 percent of the cost of this clean-up, with the town’s cost share set at 10 percent,” Smith said. “The increase in the federal cost-share will save the township an a… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=356495 | <span class="kicker">Tri-Town News article</span>Lakewood Airport receives federal grant to help improve safety | 2013-10-24 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) has announced the awarding of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant for the Lakewood Airport, Lakewood. The $220,500 grant will be used for the removal of obstructions both on and off airport property that now interfere with runway 6/24, according to a press release from the congressman. “These federal dollars designated for debris removal will significantly improve Lakewood Airport operations, allowing planes to more safely use the facility, which serves as a key attribute for the Lakewood Office Industrial Park and helps area economic activity,” Smith said. According to the press release, it has been estimated that after tree and other debris removal, the usable runway length will be about 3,100 feet. The airport, which is in the heart of Lakewood’s Office Industrial Park, is less than 40 minutes’ flying time from numerous East Coast metropolitan international airports. “The runway improvements will allow safer and more efficient operations at the Lakewood Airport and provide greater surety for future economic activity, including the basing of aircraft at the airport,” Smith said. Future plans include a hangar project and other enhancements that will make the airport more attractive for basing aircraft there, and keeping the facility businessfriendly for airport users, according to the press release. Specifically, the grant will fund the trimming and removal of trees and the elimination of debris identified as an obstruction by a study supplied to the FAA. The FAA will oversee the project, which is now in its third and final phase, to ensure the work is properly completed. Lakewood Airport is a general aviation facility. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=356205 | FEMA Awards Bradley Beach $1M Grant | 2013-10-23 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Bradley Beach Borough in Monmouth County has received preliminary approval for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The borough was awarded over $1 million to help pay for the extensive repairs that resulted from Superstorm Sandy, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said today. This award provides $1,076,541 to Bradley Beach to help pay for a project repairing the boardwalk, bulkheads, dune fencing and recreation equipment along the beach which were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. “Bradley Beach took a direct hit from Sandy,” said Smith who took a lead role in obtaining $60 billion in federal disaster relief funding for Superstorm Sandy victims. “The damage to the boardwalk and the beach facilities was extensive. But local workers and officials labored long and hard to reopen their town to visitors for the summer season. Of course, for municipal governments and property tax payers, who could have been looking at unprecedented repair costs, this federal assistance will help offset the financial impact of Sandy.” At a meeting in his Washington Office over the summer, Smith personally appealed to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to approve a 90 percent federal share for FEMA funding going to Jersey towns to pay for cleanup costs—instead of the initially planned 75 percent. Fugate approved the 90 percent ratio several weeks later. The total costs to repair the damage was $1,196,157, and the federal government will pay for 90 percent of the costs. The increase in the federal cost-share will save the borough an additional estimated $180,000. “It is the result of a lot of hard work by our emergency coordinators,” said Mayor Gary Engelstad, noting the borough’s beaches are in “great” shape. “There is a great deal of required paperwork that makes this happen. Without the attention to details and the cooperation of state and federal folks, this couldn’t have happened. The bulk of the credit goes to our emergency coordinators and our elected officials who made this happen.” The repairs… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://lobiondo.house.gov/event/press-conference-us-secretary-interior-jewell-us-fish-and-wildlife-service | Press Conference with U.S. Secretary of the Interior & the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2013-10-22 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | lobiondo.house.gov | legacy | Start: October 24, 2013 10:30 am End: October 24, 2013 11:00 am Location: Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Galloway, New Jersey | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355999 | FEMA OK's $1.6M for Monmouth Town | 2013-10-21 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Wall Township in Monmouth County has received preliminary approval for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has awarded nearly $1.7 million to help pay for the extensive clean-up that resulted from Superstorm Sandy, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said Monday. The award provides $1,684,493.01 in Federal funding to Wall to pay for the loading, hauling, and disposal of debris as a result of Superstom Sandy. The Township utilized its own Department of Public Works workforce and equipment to remove 31,251 cubic yards of debris. Three temporary staging areas were used to store the debris until final disposal was done by the contractors. The township also rented equipment, purchased materials and hired contractors to remove 48,028 cubic yards of debris. The contractors hauled the debris to the Lertch Recycling Center, Belmar Boulevard, Wall, for final disposal. The total quantity of debris removed was 79,279 cubic yards, and cost of removal was $1,871,659. “Nearly a year ago Wall was among the towns hit hard by Sandy,” said Smith, who toured damage in Wall and other shore towns following the superstorm and who took a lead role in obtaining $60 billion in federal disaster relief funding for Superstorm Sandy victims. “The human costs in terms of disruption of homelife, community and commerce was near immeasurable, and for many people, catastrophic. But local workers rolled up their sleeves and went to work to reopen their town and get back on track to normalcy. Meanwhile, municipal governments incurred never-before-seen expenses added to their town budgets. This funding will help offset the financial impact on the township’s budget and local taxes.” “We are delighted that FEMA is reimbursing Wall Township over $1.6 million for damages we incurred during Sandy, and we really appreciate all the help that Congressman Smith’s office has given us in getting resolution on this,” said Wall Mayor Todd Luttman. “This award reimburses the Township for work that was done on behalf of Wall resi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=755 | Rep. Frelinghuysen Statement: White House Tours Resume | 2013-10-21 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | The Obama Administration has announced that it will be reopening the White House for limited public tours of the East Wing and Executive Residence, beginning November 5. However, instead of tours 5 days a week, they will only be offered 3 days a week. Unfortunately, the White House says it is unable to reschedule any tours that were canceled due to budget sequestration. To request a new tour, contact Congressman Frelinghuysen’s office (202-225-5034 or 973-984-0711) at the very least 6 weeks prior to the requested day and up to six months in advance. Note: the White House requires that we include security information with your request so please be ready to provide your full name, including middle initial, social security number, gender, city and state of current residence and birth-date. We encourage you to submit your request as early as possible since a very limited number of tours are available. All White House tours are free of charge. For the most current tour information, please call the 24-hour line at 202-456-7041. Please note that White House tours may be subject to last minute cancellation. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=753 | Rep. Frelinghuysen Statement: Government Re-Opening & Raising the Debt Ceiling | 2013-10-17 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | Statement of Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) Legislation to Re-Open the Federal Government and Lift Debt Ceiling “I voted to support compromise legislation to re-open the federal government and lift the debt ceiling in order to pay America’s existing debts. “Both of these actions will now be followed by bipartisan negotiations to attack our debt and deficit crisis. Reduced Washington spending, pro-growth tax reform and preserving and protecting Social Security and Medicare are worthy goals, if acted upon.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040425/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-statement-vote-end-government-shutdown-prevent-potential-us-default | LoBiondo Statement on Vote to End Government Shutdown, Prevent Potential U.S. Default | 2013-10-16 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) today issued the following statement upon the Senate-brokered bipartisan deal to end the 16 day partial federal government shutdown and prevent potential U.S. default: “From the first day of the shutdown, I’ve reached out and worked with all colleagues – Democrats and Republicans alike – to find a compromise to end the impasse. While my staunch opposition to Obamacare has not changed, allowing veterans to go without their disability payments, our seniors to go without their Social Security checks, and thousands of federal employees, contractors and their families to continue to be held in limbo is not the responsible way to govern the greatest nation on earth. “The Senate plan being considered tonight is surely not a long-term fix to the critical fiscal challenges facing our country. It is, however, a solid short-term patch to get good-faith negotiations going on all sides. The President, the Senate and the House must come to the table, present their realistic ideas to each other and the American people that will grow our economy, protect Social Security and Medicare, reform our tax code and reduce our $17 trillion debt. For the good of America and her future, we must take this opportunity to come together, break this economically-destructive cycle that both political parties created, and solve the issues we’ve been sent here to address.” The Senate deal is expected to be considered by the full House later this evening. LoBiondo will be voting YES. # # # | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040508/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-bipartisan-working-group-statement-deal-avert-default-end-government-shutdown | LoBiondo, Bipartisan Working Group Statement on Deal to Avert Default, End Government Shutdown | 2013-10-16 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | Washington, D.C. – The House bipartisan working group spearheading the effort to resolve the fiscal impasse in Washington issued the following statement in response to the announcement of a deal to reopen the government and avoid a default on the nation’s debts: “On day one of the government shutdown, we joined together not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans deeply committed to resolving this impasse and avoiding a self-inflicted economic wound that would devastate families across the country. As it became clear that partisanship – and not problem solving – would dominate the discussion in Washington, we were joined by pragmatic, like-minded leaders on both sides of the aisle. In informal talks, we were able to put our differences aside and develop a potential solution. We applaud our Senate colleagues for working together to come up with a solution. Now it is time for Congress to act to get the government open and avoid further roiling the markets. We look forward to continuing our bipartisan discussions with the goal of putting forth a long-term deficit reduction agreement to get our fiscal house in order and finding other areas of cooperation.” Rep. Ron Kind (WI-03) and Rep. Charlie Dent (PA-15) announced the formation of a House bipartisan working group with 18 of their colleagues on Thursday, October 3. Since that announcement, the working group has expanded and continued to work to break the impasse. Members of the working group endorsing the above statement include: | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355404 | <span class="kicker">Asbury Park Press article focuses on:</span>Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction and Prevention and Return Act Approved by House Committee | 2013-10-11 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | By Asbury Park Press reporter Stephanie Loder - David Goldman of Tinton Falls was among the parents ofAmerican children abducted and wrongfully held at overseas locations who came to Washington Thursday to watch and listen as child abduction and prevention legislation was unanimously approved by the full Foreign Affairs Committee. H.R. 3212, the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013, was written by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees human rights. Smith’s bill would order the State Department to make an annual report on the status of children taken from the U.S. and whether countries are meeting their obligations to return them. It would also have to designate officials to help parents and notify Congressional representatives. It also says if the country where the child has been taken refuses to cooperate, the president must take steps such as denying future state visits or cultural and scientific exchanges or cutting various forms of U.S. aid. Parents such as Goldman of Tinton Falls, whose son was returned only after a five-year battle with Brazilian courts, support the legislation. Goldman’s son Sean was taken to Brazil by his Brazilian mother, Bruna Bianchi, for a two-week vacation in 2004, but she refused to return to the United States, and later filed for divorce from David Goldman. She remarried, but died in 2008. Her family fought to keep Sean in Brazil. Eventually, after work by Smith and the State Department, Sean was returned to his father in 2009. “It was David Goldman’s unrelenting effort to bring his son, Sean, home from Brazil that first alerted me to the epidemic of international parental child abduction in this country,” said Smith, who has traveled to Brazil and Japan in efforts to assist left-behind parents. “This bill enjoys strong bipartisan support — almost every member of the House of Representatives has constituents affected by the tragedy of international parental child abduction. Davi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355425 | <span class="kicker">Washington Times Op-Ed</span>SMITH: Making the taxpayer an accessory to the abortion trade | 2013-10-11 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Agree or disagree with public funding of abortion — a significant majority of Americans oppose subsidizing abortion — but no one likes to be misled, fooled, deceived or defrauded. In the run-up to passage of Obamacare, Americans were repeatedly told and reassured by President Obama himself, including in a speech to a joint session of Congress in October 2009, that “under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortion.” In an 11th-hour ploy to garner the votes of a remnant of pro-life congressional Democrats absolutely needed for passage in the House, the president issued an executive order that said ” the Act maintains current Hyde Amendment restrictions governing abortion policy and extends those restrictions to newly created health insurance exchanges.” It turns out those promises have not been kept. Americans woke up to the launch of the Obamacare exchanges on Oct. 1 only to discover that we’ve been misled and deceived. As with Mr. Obama’s promise that Americans can keep their current health insurance policy if they like it, implementation in the Obamacare exchanges of massive public funding of abortion undermines the president’s credibility and word. As a direct result, hundreds of thousands of unborn babies will needlessly die from dismemberment in surgical abortion or from chemical poisoning and forced expulsion from the womb. According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the new Obamacare abortion coverage may lead to between 71,000 and 111,500 more publicly funded abortions each year. Obamacare not only violates the landmark Hyde Amendment with impunity, but violates a lesser known policy I authored in 1983 — the Smith Amendment — which prohibits abortion funding in the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program. At its core, the Hyde Amendment has two parts. It prohibits funding for abortion and funding for any insurance plan that includes abortion except in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Rollout of the Obamacare exchanges reveals that many health insurance p… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355279 | ‘Left-Behind’ Parents Watch as Int'l Child Abduction Bill Is Passed by House Foreign Affairs Committee | 2013-10-10 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Parents of American children abducted and wrongfully held at overseas locations came to Washington today to watch and listen as legislation authored by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees human rights, was unanimously approved in a chorus of yays by the full Foreign Affairs Committee. Left behind parents like Iraqi War veteran ex-Marine Sgt. Mike Elias; David Goldman, whose son was returned only after a 5-year long battle with Brazilian courts; and other “left behind” parents of American children abducted to India, Japan, Egypt, Tunisia and Brazil and other countries, support the legislation, H.R. 3212, the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013, which is also backed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “It was David Goldman's unrelenting effort to bring his son, Sean, home from Brazil that first alerted me to the epidemic of international parental child abduction in this country,” said Smith, who has travelled to Brazil and Japan in efforts to assist left behind parents. “This bill enjoys strong bipartisan support—almost every Member of the House of Representatives has constituents affected by the tragedy of international parental child abduction. “At a time of contention and division, the Goldman Act is a shining example of Congress putting aside party differences and working together to do the right thing for our constituents, for members of the Armed Services and for parents across the United States and their abducted children across the globe who seek reunion and healing,” Smith said. “I am proud to sponsor this legislation along with so many concerned members from both parties.” Click here to read Smith’s opening statement at the markup. More than 1,000 children are abducted out of the country every year, and less than half are returned within a year—and many never return. According to the U.S. Department of State, between the years 2008 and 2012, bereaved, left‑behin… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355422 | AFP article: 'US lawmakers seek accords on abducted children' | 2013-10-10 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Agence France-Presse - A congressional committee called Thursday for the United States to reach legal agreements with Japan and other countries to help resolve hundreds of cases of children abducted by estranged parents. The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a bill to require the US secretary of state to reach memoranda of understanding with all nations not party to the 1980 Hague Convention, which requires the return of kidnapped children to wherever they usually live. The bill, which needs approval of the full House of Representatives and Senate, would seek to establish a mechanism with each country so that children would be returned within six weeks of an abduction report. "Parental child abduction is child abuse. These victims are American citizens who need the help of their government when normal legal processes are unavailable or fail," Representative Chris Smith, the sponsor of the bill, said at a hearing which took place despite a partial government shutdown. Smith named the bill after David Goldman, who succeeded in bringing his son Sean back to the United States after a five-year fight with Brazilian courts. The largest number of US cases involve Japan, whose courts virtually never grant custody to foreign parents, even if the Japanese mother has died. Paul Toland, who attended the hearing, said he has not seen his daughter Erika since she was an infant in 2003. After the death of her mother, Erika has been in custody of her maternal grandmother. "Hopefully, this bill will stir the government to action to help bring our kids home," said Toland, who served in Japan in the US Navy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, like his predecessor, has voiced support for Japan's entrance into the Hague Convention. But parents have voiced concern that, even if Japan's parliament ratifies the treaty, it would only apply to future cases. The State Department has said that it puts a top priority on resolving abductions, although it has stopped short of supporting moves by lawmakers to impose sanctions over the … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=353542 | <span class="kicker">Members speak out on broken promise</span> As Obamacare Rolls Out, Exchanges Hide Info on Abortion Coverage, Mandatory Abortion Surcharge | 2013-10-09 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | With the exchanges of the “Affordable Care Act” (AKA “Obamacare”) activated this month, it has become evident that it is nearly impossible for individuals to try to determine which exchange plans on their state exchange, if any, exclude abortion, said a group of lawmakers at a bipartisan press conference today. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) unveiled his legislation, H.R. 3279, the “Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act” —cosponsored by 70 other Members of the House—to ensure full disclosure of abortion coverage, requiring prominent and transparent disclosure of abortion coverage for each plan offered on an exchange. This is crucial information for millions of Americans since the many plans that include elective abortion are required by law to impose a monthly mandatory abortion surcharge. Many Americans object to paying a surcharge into a fund to be used solely for the purpose of aborting unborn babies. Smith said the inauguration of the Obamacare exchanges reveals that many health insurance plans throughout the nation will include abortion on demand—even late term abortions. Smith recalled that in October 2009, President Obama said in a speech to a joint session of Congress that, “under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortion… .” A week after the Obamacare rollout, many are now discovering that—contrary to solemn promises made by the President himself—Obamacare violates the Hyde Amendment by funding plans that include abortion. “The new law requires premium payers to be assessed an abortion surcharge every month to pay for abortions,” said Rep. Smith. “But many pro-life Americans may unwittingly purchase pro-abortion plans because of a marketing secrecy clause embedded in Obamacare which stipulates that the surcharge be minimally disclosed only at the time of enrollment. In other words, bury it in the fine print. This is a Right to Know bill. Americans have a right to know upfront and with full transparency when they are purchasing a plan that subsidizes the killing of unborn chi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=749 | House Approves Frelinghuysen Measure to Protect "Families of the Fallen" | 2013-10-09 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | House Approves Frelinghuysen Measure to Protect “Families of the Fallen” WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed legislation, introduced by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11), designed to ensure that the families of military servicemembers who have died for the country receive government benefits they deserve. “Our government has no greater responsibility than to take care of the families of our brave men and women who have fought and died for our country,” said Frelinghuysen, the Vice-Chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “This bipartisan legislation provides continuing appropriations to ensure that if troops are killed serving our country, our government will honor its obligations to them and their families without delay.” The bipartisan bill was quickly developed after the Pentagon said it could no longer make "death gratuity" payments to families after the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1 because of the government shutdown. The legislation approved by the House today: Provides for payment of death gratuities and other benefits, such as military housing allowance, to the families of fallen soldiers; Provides for authorized funeral and burial services for servicemembers and their families; Would also pay for families to travel to meet the remains of their loved ones returning home from the battlefield; During debate on House Joint Resolution 91, Frelinghuysen declared, “Our men and women serving in uniform serving in dangerous places all over the globe deserve the peace of mind of knowing that, during the worst of times, their families will receive the benefits they deserve immediately. This bill removes any ambiguity on this point.” This is the second time the House has voted to protect these benefits. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (CA) stated yesterday that Congress passed the "Pay Our Military Act“ with the express intent that all military pay and allowances would… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=353541 | ‘Left-Behind’ Parents Head to Washington as Child Abduction Bill Taken Up by House Committee | 2013-10-08 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | Efforts to bring home American children abducted to overseas destinations and wrongfully held, will take a big step forward Thursday as legislation authored by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees human rights, will be brought before the full Foreign Affairs Committee for a vote. Left behind parents like Iraqi War veteran Marine Sgt. Mike Elias; David Goldman, whose son was returned only after a 5-year abduction; and other “left behind” parents of American children abducted to India, Japan, Egypt and Brazil and other countries, support the legislation, H.R. 3212, the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013. More than 1,000 children are abducted out of the country every year, and less than half are returned within a year, and many never return. According to the U.S. Department of State, between the years 2008 and 2012, bereaved, left‑behind parents like Elias and Goldman reported over 4,800 abduction cases involving more than 7,000 children. In May, Smith held a hearing called “Resolving International Parental Child Abductions to Non-Hague Convention Countries,” before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations chaired by Smith. Who: Full Committee Chairman Ed Royce, Smith, and other members of the Foreign Affairs Committee; left behind family members, including former congressional witnesses: Paul Toland, of Maryland, father of child abducted to Japan Michael Elias, of New Jersey, father of children abducted to Japan Barton Hermer, of Texas, father of child abducted to the U.K. David Goldman, of New Jersey, father of child abducted to Brazil, one of the few cases brought back to U.S. after a 5-year abduction When: Thursday, Oct. at 10 a.m. Where: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172 | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=352390 | <span class="kicker">Star Ledger/NJ.com article</span>Monmouth Congressmen: Final beach replenishment contract awarded, work to begin soon | 2013-10-04 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The final contract for the world’s largest beach replenishment project was awarded last week, area congressmen said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the fourth contract to replenish Hurricane Sandy-ravaged beaches from Sea Bright to the Manasquan Inlet in Monmouth County, Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) said in a Friday press release. “This project will help restore and protect our beaches with suitably engineered dunes, which will have the added benefit to better protect homes, businesses and public property,” Smith said. “The beaches are also the lifeblood of the local economy, and the main reason why tourists visit the shore. This project is an important part of the overall recovery.” The $18,332,500 contract to replenish the beaches between Asbury Park and Avon-by-the-Sea, part of the “Sea Bright to Manasquan Beach Erosion Control Project,” was awarded to the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company LLC, of Oak Brook, Ill. “I’m pleased that the Army Corps is moving forward with this important investment that will help to protect homes and businesses from future flooding, as well as repair the destruction caused by Sandy,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th) said in a Friday press release. “Our beaches are a fundamental part of life here on the shore, both for residents to enjoy and also to drive tourism. I have fought for this and other beach replenishment projects for years because I know how important they are to protect some of our most fragile coastal infrastructure.” The Corps said Friday it expects to issue a notice to proceed in about a week, after the winning bidder submits required information. Construction will be underway this fall and completed in the spring. Sand will be dredged by the contractor from an offshore borrow area, located about four miles offshore of Sea Bright. The work will create a 100-feet-wide, 12-feet-tall beach berm. Over one million cubic yards of sand will be moved along a nine-mile stretch under the. The Corps plan calls for maintenance work about every six… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=746 | FAQ: Government Shutdown | 2013-10-04 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | Frelinghuysen Statement: Government Shutdown Frequently Asked Questions about the Government Shutdown Q: What does a “government shutdown” mean? A Government Shutdown means that there is a lapse in the funds appropriated to keep the federal government running. This occurred on October 1. As a result, portions of the federal government have “shut down.” Q: What services will continue? Services that are deemed essential for the safety of human life and the protection of property will continue. This includes the Armed Forces, border patrol, law enforcement, fire fighting, and federal workers who provide medical care on the job. The Postal Service and the Federal Reserve, which are both self-funded, will also continue to operate. Q: What will be the impact of a shutdown? All national parks and federal wildlife refuges would be closed for the duration of the shutdown, the Interior Department said Friday. About 9 million visitors were turned away from parks, museums and monuments run by the National Park Service in the mid-1990s, the last time the government shut down temporarily. About 40 percent of the nation's 2 million federal workers would be furloughed. Though Congress has approved restoring lost pay retroactively in the past, there's no guarantee lawmakers will do that this time. About 1.4 million active-duty military personnel must remain on the job but won't get paid until a new deal is signed into law. Active National Guard units also must continue to work. Most civilian employees of the Defense Department face furloughs. Some other possibilities: Delays in processing tens of thousands of passport and visa applications, issuing gun permits, continuing U.S. bankruptcy court cases and approving mortgage applications. Q: Will federal employees continue to be paid? In the event of a shutdown, each federal agency is required to determine which employees are “essential” and which are “non-essential.” Essential personnel are required to report for work as usua… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=352107 | <span class="kicker">Huffington Post article on Lyme Disease</span>The Global Search for Education: The Guidelines - Ticks | 2013-10-02 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | "The current IDSA guidelines provide the best scientific, evidence-based medical practices for the treatment of Lyme disease including early and late forms." -- Dr. Paul Auwaerter Around the world, the Infectious Diseases Society of America's guidelines are used by doctors, governments and health insurance companies to determine a patient's diagnosis and treatment for Lyme disease. These guidelines have been controversial. Much of the disagreement centers on how to treat patients who experience debilitating and long lasting symptoms (known as chronic Lyme disease) when the disease is caught late. The 2006 IDSA guidelines were challenged by then Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, but after review by a selected panel of experts in 2010, none of the 69 original recommendations were changed. The guidelines continue to set doctor against doctor and scientist against scientist. The real losers in the Lyme debate are the patients who just get sicker while the most important questions of all -- Why can't they get better? and What can we do to help them? -- remain unanswered. Times may be changing. Innovative research is presenting clues to Lyme persistence. Efforts have begun to share knowledge with international doctors and scientists concerned about the dramatic growth of Lyme and tick-borne illnesses in Asia, Europe, South America, Australia and Canada. Ecologists have published studies on the emergence and spread of the disease. Further, the CDC reported an increase in 2012 of 1500% in annual incidence in the US alone, raising Lyme disease visibility globally and supporting the need for a comprehensive prevention campaign. It is troubling to imagine what the 300,000 estimate might exclude given the arguments of poor surveillance for Lyme in less endemic states and the fact that doctors rely on diagnostic tests which experts globally agree are just not sensitive enough. Even with the surveillance methods used historically, Lyme disease tripled between 1992 and 2009. How can we move f… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=351672 | Congressman Smith Speaks on House Floor in Favor of Embassy Security Act | 2013-09-28 | 2013 | 2013-09 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives about the Embassy Security Act (the 2014 State Dept. authorization), which includes provisions of his International Megan's Law legislation to limit to one year the length of U.S. passports for convicted sex offenders. The following are excerpts of his remarks on the Floor, September 28, 2013: "On Tuesday of this week, my subcommittee staff director Greg Simpkins and I returned from a four-day trip to Nigeria, including the city of Jos, the scene of recent fire bombings of Christian churches by Boko Haram, a terrorist organization that has killed thousands of Nigerian Christians and some Muslims as well. Boko Haram—like al Shabaab, the cowards who slaughtered Kenyans in a shopping center in Nairobi last week—poses serious and escalating threats to indigenous Africans and American personnel overseas. "The Embassy Security Act—like the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 that I authored—is designed to significantly enhance protection at our missions abroad. Significantly, the law that I authored a dozen years ago came to the floor on the heels of al Qaeda bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998. I chaired the hearings following that tragic loss of life, but it is clear that the promised action following those earlier attacks has not been fully implemented—there are significant security gaps that must be remedied—more than a decade later. We seem to have failed to learn the lesson from earlier terror attacks, even after the latest in Benghazi. "The bill before us today contains a number of important provisions, most especially very serious and necessary security upgrades for our embassies and consulates abroad. Our embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, was constructed with the upgrades recommended by earlier legislation—I saw that firsthand this week—but so many older facilities do not meet those high standards including lifesaving setbacks from roads and thoroughfares. Chairman… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=351634 | USACE Awards Bid, Beach Replenishment Project Moves Closer to Completion | 2013-09-27 | 2013 | 2013-09 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this morning announced it has awarded the fourth and final contract to replenish Sandy-ravaged beaches from Sea Bright to the Manasquan Inlet in Monmouth County, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said Friday. For the beaches between Asbury Park and Avon-by-the-Sea, this phase of the “Sea Bright to Manasquan Beach Erosion Control Project” was awarded to the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company LLC, of Oak Brook, Ill., in the amount of $18,332,500. It was the lower of two bids. The second was $22.9 million from Manson Construction Co. of Seattle. The work will be fully funded by the federal government. “This project will help restore and protect our beaches with suitably engineered dunes, which will have the added benefit to better protect homes, businesses and public property,” said Smith, a long-time advocate of beach replenishment and protection projects. “The beaches are also the lifeblood of the local economy, and the main reason why tourists visit the shore. This project is an important part of the overall recovery.” The Corps said today it expects to issue a notice to proceed (NTP) in about a week, after the winning bidder submits required information. The construction duration is estimated to be 210 days, and is expected to be underway this fall and completed in the spring. Sand will be dredged by the contractor from an offshore borrow area, located about four miles offshore of Sea Bright. The work consists of a 100 foot wide beach berm at an elevation of 12 feet. Over one million cubic yards of sand will be moved along a nine-mile stretch under the contract, the fourth and final contract to restore the Sea Bright to Manasquan Beach Erosion Control Project to its former state as it was when completed in 2001. The Corps plan calls for maintenance work about every six years. Click here for a description of the contract awarded today. Due to Superstorm Sandy the beaches in the project area lost roughly 5 million cubic yards of sand. The Corps of Engineers is r… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040552/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/new-jersey-new-york-members-urge-fema-extend-deadline-flood-insurance-claims-sandy | New Jersey, New York Members Urge FEMA to Extend Deadline for Flood Insurance Claims for Sandy Homeowners | 2013-09-27 | 2013 | 2013-09 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | Washington, DC – Today, a bipartisan group of Senators and House Members from New Jersey and New York urged FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to grant a six-month extension for thousands of Sandy-impacted homeowners to file flood insurance claims. Under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) managed by FEMA, Sandy-impacted homeowners must file a Proof of Loss (POL) form, a statement on the amount that the homeowner is claiming under his or her flood insurance policy, by October 29th in order to be eligible for coverage for flood damage. Many families, however, are unable to meet this deadline in time because they are still waiting for repair work to begin on their homes or only recently become aware of additional expenses as they start to repair and rebuild. Federal officials requested an immediate extension to ensure that all homeowners have a fair process when it comes to filing their flood insurance claims and receiving the full benefits they are entitled to. Led by New York Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, the letter was co-signed by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Jeff Chiesa (R-NJ), and Representatives Charles Rangel (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), Michael Grimm (R-NY), Steve Israel (D-NY), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Timothy Bishop (D-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Chris Smith (D-NY), Jon Runyan (R-NJ), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Rob Andrews (D-NJ), and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY), and Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ). The officials applauded FEMA’s efforts to extend the Proof of Loss requirement from the traditional 60 days to a full year, but noted that 11 months after Superstorm Sandy devastated communities across New York and New Jersey, a minimum of a six-month extension is not only warranted but necessary. Many proof of loss filings are made as homeowners become aware of additional expenses through their contractors as work begins on their home and were not factored i… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2&itemid=742 | Frelinghuysen continues annual Superfund tour | 2013-09-26 | 2013 | 2013-09 | Republican | House | NJ | Rodney Frelinghuysen | F000372 | frelinghuysen.house.gov | legacy | "Keeping an Eye on Morris County's Superfund Sites" By: Cindy Forrest Published in the September 25, 2013 edition of the Neighbor News (Denville Edition) On Oct. 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager wowed the world by breaking the sound barrier. Today, almost 66 years later, New Jersey residents are still paying a part of the price - financially and environmentally - for the events on that momentous occasion. In Rockaway Township, the engine and propellant used by Yeager to achieve Mach 1 speed were produced on a 263-acre property off Lake Denmark Road. From the 1940s up through 1972, activities at the site included the testing and development of rocket engines and propellants, including the ones used by Yeager. Since 1972, operations at that location have included radiation sterilization, production of architectural products, and production of and finishes for hardwood flooring. Given the materials being used at the site, concerns about possible environmental impacts led the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Rockaway Township Health Department to conduct numerous inspections beginning in the early 1980s. The inspections revealed that toxins, including benzene, carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene, were improperly stored and disposed of resulting in contamination of soil and surface water And so in 1983 after decades of toxic chemicals and solvents being stored and used on the property, the site was proposed for inclusion on the Superfund and the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List (NPL). It was placed on the list on Sept. 21, 1984. Superfund is the name given to the federal government's environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites. It is also the name of the fund established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980. This law was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s. It allows the fede… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040632/http://lobiondo.house.gov/press-release/lobiondo-announces-fire-grant-hammonton-fire-department | LoBiondo Announces Fire Grant to Hammonton Fire Department | 2013-09-25 | 2013 | 2013-09 | Republican | House | NJ | Frank LoBiondo | L000554 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) today announced a $17,100 federal award from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program to the Hammonton Fire Department. In total, 123 organizations in the 2nd Congressional district have been awarded more than $22 million since the program began in 2001. “This is welcome news for the men and women of the Hammonton Fire Department, who protect the residents of Hammonton day in and day out,” said LoBiondo, a member of the Congressional Fire Caucus. “Given tight budgets at many of our municipalities, the AFG program remains a critical resource for our local first responders and an important program I am proud to support.” The Hammonton Fire Department previously received AFG awards in the amounts of $166,963 (2005) and $94,881 (2007). The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program awards grants directly to fire departments and emergency services to support their efforts to protect the communities they serve. The Fiscal Year 2012 program will award approximately $337.5 million in competitive grants to first responder organizations across the country to obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources required to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the program. For the last nine years, Congressman LoBiondo’s office has hosted local seminars for area fire departments to highlight the benefits of this grant program and assist with the application process. The Fiscal Year 2012 program received 12,000 applications nationwide. More information can be found at www.fema.gov/firegrants/ # # # | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |
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