Cong. Smith: New $50M Dredge Will Protect Boaters, Fishing Industry at Manasquan and Beyond

September 4, 2025 7:41 pm The House of Representatives today approved the FY26 Energy & Water Appropriations Act (HR 4553), which includes $50 million for a new shallow-draft dredging vessel—funds Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) fought to secure in order to address dangerous shoaling issues at the Manasquan Inlet, Shark River Inlet, and other key waterways….

Rep. Smith’s anti-trafficking bill advances to the House floor

The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act of 2025 (H. R. 1144), sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith, was named in honor of Frederick Douglass, a famed abolitionist and outspoken critic of slavery. The bill reauthorizes Smith’s landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 (P. L. 106-386), which has led to the convictions of more than 2,225 human…

Rep. Smith retintroduces TICK Act

A new bill to reauthorize the nation’s federal efforts to fight Lyme disease was announced yesterday on Capitol Hill. The TICK Act, sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) with Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-NJ) and Paul Tonko (D-NY), will provide continued funding for Lyme disease research at the Centers for Disease Control…