For all of you living in the 4th congressional district and lucky to have Chris Smith as your Congressman, you’re probably already aware that he never quits, never takes a rest, never stops doing something for his constituents.
Since he’s recently had his district expanded to include parts of Ocean County, you folks there are in for a wonderful surprise with your new Representative.
While in general I am a strong supporter of term limits and politicians not making their elected positions become their life long, lovely retirement job, Congressman Smith is the rare politician who continues to work long and hard even after all those years and all those accomplishments that can be attributed to him.
In addition to numerous bills he has effectively introduced and managed through the House to eventually becoming law, to re-uniting families or offering solace and assistance to a family suffering the loss of a loved one, I continue to marvel how he managed to have the Congressional Medal of Honor bestowed on Civil War hero and Freehold native James Fallon, even after the US Army had said it would never happen. They apparently did not recognize the hard work Smith puts into something to get it done.
Straight from the polls and yet another successful assurance he will represent the Republican party at the November election, the Congressman immediately called a press conference in Washington to explain the new Frederick Douglas Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022, and calling for an immediate vote on the floor to make it happen.
It’s a long time coming and a long way of saying the bill the Congressman got passed two decades ago, The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 can be back in force. That’s right; he had the idea, wrote it got it passed 22 years ago. And here we are. Once again.
The event came when 800 trafficking and advocacy organizations and another 18 trafficking survivors signed a letter to House Leadership urging a House vote on this bi-partisan bill written by Smith and Democrat Representative Karen Bass of California.
“For more than a year, Congresswoman Bass and I have worked tirelessly to write this comprehensive, bipartisan bill with valued input from trafficking survivors and anti-trafficking groups to bolster programs,” Smith said. “It is long past time for Congress to vote on this legislation to fund essential programs that have expired and protect the most vulnerable among us and prevent trafficking in the first place.”
“The reauthorization of Smith’s 2020 Act moves not only to support those already victimized, but also to prevent future risks of trafficking by adding preventative measures to online grooming and trafficking and bringing the guilty to justice,”
Rep. Bass added. “It is our duty to protect these vulnerable populations and to stop this heinous crime when and where it is discovered.”
Winning unanimous support from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, H.R. 6552 would provide approximately $1 billion over five years to strengthen and expand education, restorative care, and other critical programs that protect victims, prosecute perpetrators and prevent trafficking. It would enhance education through identification and prevention of child trafficking and would add provisions providing employment programs for survivors.
The bill is essential to ensure the continued protection of students, at-risk populations, and human trafficking survivors,” both Congressional leaders added.
https://www.youtube.com/user/USRepChrisSmith
