Christopher Henry Smith

Representative of New Jersey's 4th District
Term of office: 1980 - present
Political party:	Republican Image File history File linksMetadata Chris_Smith. ... The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... New Jerseys Fourth Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Chris Smith. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ...
Preceded by:	Frank Thompson
Succeeded by:	Incumbent
Born:	March 4, 1953 Rahway, New Jersey
Spouse:	Marie Smith

Christopher Henry Smith (born March 4, 1953, in Rahway, New Jersey) is an American Republican Party politician, who is a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 4th District of New Jersey (map). Frank Thompson, Jr. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... Rahway is a city located in Union County, New Jersey. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... Rahway is a city located in Union County, New Jersey. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... New Jerseys Fourth Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Chris Smith. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ...

History

Smith grew up in the Trenton area, worked in his family's sporting goods business, and earned the Eagle Scout award. After graduating with a B.A. from Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) in 1975, became executive director of the New Jersey Right to Life Committee in 1976. Originally a Democrat, he became a Republican in the late 1970s due to the Democrats' support for Roe v. Wade. Flag Seal Location Location of Trenton inside of Mercer County Coordinates , Government Country State County United States New Jersey Mercer County Founded circa 1719 Mayor Douglas H. Palmer Geographical characteristics Area     City 21. ... Eagle Scout rank (Boy Scouts of America) Eagle Scout rank (Boy Scouts of the Philippines) List of Eagle Scouts (BSA) Category: ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... The College of New Jersey, commonly called TCNJ, is a four-year public institution located in Ewing Township, New Jersey, a northern suburb of Trenton. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Holding Texas laws criminalizing abortion violated womens Fourteenth Amendment right to choose whether to continue a pregnancy. ...

In 1978, Smith, the owner of a sporting goods company first ran for Congress but was defeated by Democratic incumbent Frank Thompson, Jr. In 1980, he ran again and beat 26-year incumbent Frank Thompson, a convicted Abscam defendant. He faced a difficult race for reelection in 1982, but hasn't faced serious opposition since, garnering more than 60% of the vote each time despite representing a district with a slight Democratic lean. Frank Thompson, Jr. ... Abscam (sometimes ABSCAM) was a US political scandal in 1980. ...

Abortion

Smith is one of the fiercest opponents of abortion in either house of Congress. Smith has worked to stop abortions in military hospitals. He has also worked to reinstate the Ronald Reagan-era restrictions that would deny federal funds to family planning organizations that promote abortions abroad. The ensuing struggle lasted more than two years, with Smith leveraging his opposition to the family planning money to prevent passage of the Clinton administration's high-priority efforts to reorganize the State Department, pay U.S. dues to the United Nations and provide $18 billion for the International Monetary Fund. Smith finally was forced to yield in 1998 and 1999 omnibus spending bills, but he won in return White House agreement to restrict support for international abortion advocacy. George W. Bush restored the family-planning restrictions in an executive order in his first full day in office. Smith also was a prime mover of legislation to ban partial-birth abortions; the House voted to override Clinton's vetoes, but Smith's side fell a few votes short of the two-thirds needed in the Senate. In a January 22, 2004 press release, Smith stated, "Americans want the abortion holocaust to end." and refered to abortion as "child slaughter"^[1]. Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization that aims at facilitating co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... The logo of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization that oversees the global financial system by monitoring exchange rates and balance of payments, as well as offering technical and financial assistance when asked. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American businessman and politician, was elected in 2000 as the 43rd President of the United States of America, re-elected in 2004, and is currently serving his second term in that office. ... Intact dilation and extraction (IDX or Intact D&X), is a surgical abortion procedure wherein an intact fetus is removed from the womb via the cervix. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Smith has fought not only Democrats but the House Republican leadership on the abortion issue. In July 2002 the bankruptcy bill, strongly backed by the leadership, came out of conference committee; the House had passed it 306-108 in March 2001. But it contained a provision, negotiated by Senator Charles Schumer and longtime abortion opponent Henry Hyde, providing that court judgments or fines could not be wiped out in bankruptcy: Schumer inserted this as a favor to abortion rights groups, after some abortion protesters declared bankruptcy to avoid paying fines. Smith and Joe Pitts led a group of abortion opponents and said they would vote against the bill unless the provision was removed. In November, the leadership brought forward the rule to vote on the bill and Speaker Dennis Hastert took the unusual step of voting for it himself (the speaker usually does not vote). Smith and Pitts stood their ground despite furious efforts by Whip Tom DeLay, and the rule went down 243-172, with 87 Republicans voting against. It was only the second rule defeated during Hastert's first four years as speaker, and Hastert called Smith into his office to scold him in January 2003. Smith won a victory in 2004 when a provision stating that state and local governments could not force hospitals and care providers to perform abortions was put in the omnibus appropriation. He continues to push for his legislation, the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, which requires doctors to inform pregnant women that some experts say fetus can feel pain after 20 weeks. Charles Ellis Chuck Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is an American politician. ... Henry John Hyde (born April 18, 1924), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1975, representing the 6th District of Illinois (map). ... Joseph R. Pitts (b. ... John Dennis Hastert (born January 2, 1942) is an American politician, and has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 1999. ... Thomas Dale Tom DeLay (born April 8, 1947) is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Sugar Land, Texas, the former House Majority Leader, and a prominent member of the Republican Party. ...

His belief in a right to life has also led Smith to oppose both capital punishment and embryonic stem cell research. On the issue of stem cell research, Smith has actively worked to increase research into non-embryonic stem cells. Smith's “Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005,” which provides $265 million for stem cell therapy, umbilical cord blood and bone marrow treatment was signed into law by President George W. Bush in December of 2005. It also authorizes $79 million for the collection of cord blood stem cells, which has already successfully treated thousands of people for more than 67 diseases including Leukemia and Sickle Cell Anemia – which affects thousands of African Americans. Human embryonic stem cells in culture. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and the 43rd and current President of the United States. ...

In July of 2006, Smith voted to uphold President Bush's veto of legislation that promoted embroyonic stem cell research and called for increased investment for cord blood and bone marrow stem cell research.

Smith serves as Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Pro Life Caucus.

Chairman of the Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations Subcommittee

In 2005, Smith was appointed chairman of the House International Relations Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations Subcommittee. A long-time champion of human rights, this role allows Smith to fight for human rights and promote democracy around the globe.

Smith also serves as Vice-Chairman of the Committee on International Relations and as Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (also known as the United States Helsinki Commission), which works to promote and foster democracy, human rights, and stability in Eastern and Central Europe. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ...

Since being elected to Congress, Smith has also played a key role over the years promoting human rights reforms in the former Soviet Union, Romania, Vietnam, China, Sudan, Cuba, and elsewhere. He has worked toward a just and lasting peace in Northern Ireland and an end of the discrimination against Catholics. He wrote the provision of the law that barred Northern Ireland Police (formerly the RUC) from training in the United States with U.S. law enforcement personnel until it was certified that the police met stringent human rights standards. That certification was granted in December 2001 by President George W. Bush. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and the 43rd and current President of the United States. ...

One of Smith’s significant legislative achievements is his landmark Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Law, the nations' first law that deals specifically with human trafficking. This law provided government prosecutors with the resources needed to prosecute offenders as well as resources to help victims rebuild their lives.

He began investigating and working to end the human trafficking epidemic in the mid-1990’s . Trafficking is a $9 billion industry, the third largest source of income for organized crime and the second fastest growing criminal activity in the world, equal with illegal arms sales.

In 2003, a second Smith trafficking law –the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act – took effect and further strengthened his original law. Smith’s original trafficking law also reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, the most significant law to help protect women who are victims of rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Like the trafficking component, the VAWA reauthorization works to ensure prosecution of offenders and help the victims recover.

In January, 2006, President George W. Bush signed Smith’s third trafficking law – the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2005 which strengthens the nation’s current trafficking law (which he also authored in 2000), authorizes new funds for investigation and prosecution of domestic trafficking within the United States and to helps the young women and children who are most often the victims of human trafficking operations. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and the 43rd and current President of the United States. ...

Smith has strongly criticized China for its forced sterilizations and abortions and its persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, and opposed normal trade relations with China. In July 2003, after a provision for $50 million for the United Nations Population Fund passed by one vote in committee, he led the fight against it and it was defeated on the floor 216-211. The United Nations Fund for Population Activities was started in 1969 and renamed the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 1987. ...

Smith has condemned Russia for barring entry of foreign Catholic priests and Saudis for treating foreign servants as slaves. In 2000 he had the signal success of pushing to passage a bill combating sex trafficking around the world, including a provision opposed by the Clinton administration requiring yearly reports on each nation's record; Clinton signed it anyway. In 2003, he worked to extend it to 2005. Smith has also taken action on the subject; When he heard about Ukrainian girls being held against their will in brothels in Montenegro, he called the Montenegran prime minister, who ordered a raid on the operation. In 2003 he successfully sponsored a law providing $81 million for centers in the U.S. and abroad to counsel victims of torture. In July 2004 the House passed 323-45 his bill to bar increased aid to Vietnam unless the administration finds substantial progress toward releasing political prisoners and fostering religious freedom and democratic government. Smith's moral views have led him to take stands unusual for a Republican on domestic issues. In July 2003 he cast a critical vote in committee for Henry Waxman's resolution of approval for future global climate change agreements. In October 2004, he voted against James Sensenbrenner's amendment broadening the category of illegal immigrants subject to immediate deportation. Motto: None Anthem: Oj, svijetla majska zoro Capital Podgorica Largest city Podgorica Official language(s) Serbian of the Ijekavian dialect1 Government Republic  - President Filip Vujanović  - Prime Minister Milo Đukanović Independence From Serbia and Montenegro   - Declared June 3, 2006   - Recognised June 8, 2006  Area    - Total 14,026 km² (159th)   5,414... Frank James Sensenbrenner, Jr. ...

Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

In January 2001, Smith became chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and there pushed for policies opposed by the Republican leadership--which resulted in his losing the chairmanship in January 2005, two years short of the normal six-year term. In his four years, Smith's committte passed veterans bills that increased Veterans Affairs disability payments by $2.5 billion, increased G.I. Bill of Rights spending 46%, authorized $1 billion in aid to homeless veterans, and added $100 million in health care benefits for surviving spouses of veterans. Smith's 2004 bill increased from 18 to 24 months the coverage of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, set up a pilot program for recruitment of nurses, and authorized a new research center of veterans with multitrauma combat injuries. The standing Committee on Veterans Affairs in the United States House of Representatives oversees agencies, reviews current legislation, and recommends new bills or amendments concerning veterans. ... The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for administering programs of veterans benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. ...

Veterans Laws Authored by Smith include one providing a record 46 percent increase in the GI Bill which helps veterans pay for college. The increase is the largest ever since the GI Bill went into effect following World War II. The G. I. Bill of Rights or Servicemens Readjustment Act of 1944 provided for college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans as well as one-year of unemployment compensation. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Smith also wrote the nation's first law that addresses and combats the plague of chronic homelessness among veterans. The Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act authorizes $1 billion in programs to help veterans find and retain jobs and provides them with housing, counseling, and medical care they need to rebuild their lives.

By no means were all programs authorized by Smith's committee funded by the Appropriations Committee. For three years, Appropriations explicitly forbade spending on Smith's four research centers to develop responses to chemical, biological and radiological attacks. In early 2003, Smith called for making veterans benefits an entitlement -- mandatory spending that would not have to go through Appropriations. GOP leadership opposed and there were threats he'd lose the chair. In 2003, he voted for the Republican budget resolution that included a $1.8 billion increase in veterans spending, but in July 2003, appropriators did not include the money; Smith opposed that but disappointed Democrats by not voting against the vote sending the measure to the floor. The Committee on Appropriations, or Appropriations Committee (often referred to as simply Appropriations, as in Hes on Appropriations) is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. ...

In 2004, Smith voted against the Republican and for the Democratic budget resolution because the latter included more spending on veterans programs. Over the last 30 years, in both Republican and Democratic-controlled Houses, the majority party leadership expects committee chairs to vote for the party's budget resolution. In this case, it did not help that Smith ranked eighth lowest among House Republicans in party-line voting (though that was still 81%).

Smith did not expect a challenge for the chair when Congress convened in 2005. But Steve Buyer, the fourth ranking Republican on the committee, asked for an interview with the Republican Steering Committee, and on January 5, 2005, it voted to make him chairman. That decision was ratified by the Republican Conference on January 6 -- Smith was off the committee altogether. He was obviously disappointed. "I don't look at power as something to hold. I see the power of the gavel as a strategic opportunity to do good, to use it in every way to help veterans," he said in his speech to the Conference. New Jersey Republicans expressed dismay, and New Jersey Democrats and the leaders of just about every veterans group expressed outrage. Rep. ... In the United States House of Representatives, there are two House Steering and Policy Committees, one Democratic and one Republican. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other votes and positions

In addition to his work on human rights, veterans, and international relations issues, Congressman Smith is very active in several healthcare issues, serving as Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Alzheimer's Task Force, Coalition for Autism Research and Education, and Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus.

In September 2001, the anthrax letters sent to New York and Washington, D.C. passed through the post office sorting facility in Hamilton Township, just east of Trenton. The facility was closed and some 800,000 pieces of mail delayed. Smith introduced a bill to waive financial penalties for people whose mail was delayed; the banking industry agreed to do that voluntarily. A letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle containing weaponized anthrax powder killed two postal workers. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... Hamilton Township highlighted in Mercer County. ...

Smith has worked to raise New Jersey Medicare reimbursement rates to New York City levels and to get funding for Project Polaris, a New York-New Jersey group combating sex trafficking. He voted to postpone the 2005 base closing round by two years. For over ten years he has worked to bring in $50 million for the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst. The station, which designs and builds aircraft carrier catapults and arresting gear, was slated to remain open when the Pentagon released its base closing recommendations in May 2005, though it was to lose 186 jobs. Medicare is a health insurance program for the elderly and disabled in the USA. It was first passed on July 30, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as amendments to Social Security legislation. ... Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), New Jersey, formerly the Lakehurst Naval Air Station then the Naval Air Engineering Center Lakehurst. ...

Congressional group ratings

Smith received a "C" on the liberal Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues.^[2] The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a non-partisan, non-profit policy institute founded during the civil rights movement. ...

According to the conservative Club for Growth, Smith received a rating of 28 (out of 100) on their 2005 Congressional Scorecard. This was the second lowest score of any Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives (after Jim Leach of Iowa).^[3] The Club for Growth is a Reaganite section 527 political organization and an affiliated political action committee that raise money for candidates who support a pro-tax cut and limited government agenda. ... Leach chairs a hearing on human rights in North Korea. ...

Trivia

• In 1982, Smith faced his toughest reelection campaign when he was challenged by former New Jersey Senate President Joseph P. Merlino. At the end of one of their debates, Smith approached Merlino to exchange pleasantries, Merlino was quoted as saying "Beat it, kid." Smith won the election with 53% of the vote.[1]
• Smith refused to be interviewed for the Better Know A District segment of the Colbert Report; his Democratic challenger, Carol Gay, took up the offer instead, and appeared on the episode which first aired on October 12, 2006.

The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature. ... Better Know A District (BKAD) is one of the recurring segments on The Colbert Report. ... Stephen Colbert, star of The Colbert Report The Colbert Report (, or possibly Colbert Réport) is a television program announced by Comedy Central that will star Stephen Colbert, currently best-known as a correspondent for The Daily Show. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official website
• bioguide.congress.gov article on Chris Smith
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post