Piscataway, NJ WW/Press/July 31, 2020 – Robert ‘Bob’ G. Smith, Senator and Attorney with Bob Smith and Associates was selected for inclusion into the Top Attorneys of North America 2020-2021 edition by The Who’s Who Directories.
State Senator Bob Smith owner of the Piscataway law firm of Bob Smith and Associates, specializes in land use/zoning and planning. He proudly represents the rights and interests of the citizens of the 17th Legislative District, a dynamic and ever changing community, which includes parts of Middlesex and Somerset Counties. He is admitted to the New Jersey bar since 1981. He served in the New Jersey State Legislature since 1986, first as a State Assemblyman and more recently as State Senator, Bob Smith is considered one of the State’s leading environmental lawmakers. Smith recently worked to amend the New Jersey Constitution to provide for a stable source of funding for open space acquisition, farmland preservation and historic preservation.
Smith has been named Legislator of the Year by such groups as New Jersey Recreation and Parks Association and New Jersey Chamber of Commerce as well as Sportsman of the Year by the Jersey Coast Anglers. During his eight terms in the General Assembly, Smith was consistently ranked at or near the top of NJPIRG’s Public Interest rating and has been named Environmental Legislator of the Year by several New Jersey Environmental Organizations. Smith sponsored and passed laws such as Site Remediation Reform (LSRP), Barnegat Bay cleanup, including the most stringent fertilizer law in the United States, the Recycling Enhancement Act, Electronic Waste Management Act, the 2009 $400 million Green Acres Initiative ballot referendum and a host of legislation stimulating solar and alternative energy in New Jersey including legislation to stabilize the solar market.
Smith authored the Ocean Pollution Bounty Act, Sludge Management Ave, Oil Spill Prevention Act and the Clean Water Enforcement Ave; these laws deal with such critical matters as increasing penalties for violations of environmental laws, repairing outmoded combined sewer systems, and reforming the oil spill prevention efforts of our state. Senator Smith has sponsored legislation establishing the protection of water resources and flood prone areas as high priorities under the open space acquisition program. He has taken the lead on protecting our valuable water resources by sponsoring the landmark Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act which protects the region that provides drinking water for 5 million New Jersey citizens.
Senator Smith has worked diligently for his district as well as the entire state by sponsoring the Emergency Disaster Relief Act and Local Flood Aid Act to aid economic recovery. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Smith wrote the Disaster Relief Emergency Financing Program which expands the scope of what can be financed through the Environmental Infrastructure Trust. He has hosted meeting throughout the state and has been proactive in providing legislative remedies to assist residents in the rebuilding process.
Smith knows that Military Veterans sacrifice the comfort of their homes in exchange for the realities of war which is why he fought to pass his legislation providing affordable housing opportunities to our veterans. Smith has fought for the rights of our New Jersey National Guard students. These students, who serve our country, were being forced to register for classes after their civilian peers as the colleges and universities were not reimbursed for providing their educational benefits. He sponsored and had a law passed that provided for the funding of college education and allowed for the National Guard students to register along with their fellow peers.
Smith has fought for the enactment of laws affording greater protection of child victims of abuse and sponsored bills to increase the penalties for carjacking. He was a leaded in the fight to protect citizens from lead poisoning. To protect worker’s rights, Senator Smith authored the Worker and Community Right to Know Act and more recently sponsored a bill which would make it easier for non-unionized employees to organize to increase their negotiating power. For his contributions to workers across the state, Senator Smith was presented with the 2006 Hubert H. Humphrey Friend of Labor Award by the Middlesex County AFL-CIO.
Formerly a member of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the Assembly’s Policy and Rules Committee, Smith served as Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Energy and the Environment and was ranking minority member of the Environment, Science and Technology Committee. Currently, Senator Smith is the Chairman of the Senate Environmental Committee and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as member of the State House Commission. As Chairman of the Environmental Committee, Senator Smith continues to pursue an aggressive environmental agenda, currently advancing recycling legislation to bring the Garden State back to the forefront of recycling in the nation, creating sustainable communities, and combating the global warming crisis.
Senator Smith has a long record of public service having served as Mayor of Piscataway Township from 1981-1986 and was a member of the Township Council from 1977-1981, serving as Council President and Vice President. From 1991-1992 he served as the Chairman of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization. He also served as Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic Task Force on the Environment in 1987 and was counsel to the New Jersey State Democratic Platform in both 1987 and 1989. From 1995-1996 he served as Deputy Minority Leader in the General Assembly.
Senator Bob Smith is a uniquely qualified legislator. Prior to becoming an attorney in private practice, Senator Smith was a Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Science at Middlesex County College. He holds Master’s degrees in Chemistry from the University of Scranton and Environmental Science from Rutgers University, a J.D. in law from Seton Hall University and Bachelor of the Arts in History from University of Scranton.
Bob and his wife Ellen live and work in Piscataway Township. They are parents to two grown daughters and are proud grandparents of five grandchildren.
The Top Attorneys of North America, a New York based publication, distinguishes and profiles leading attorneys who have reached a recognizable degree of success and leadership in their field. The directory is valued for promoting awareness of the accomplishments within the North American legal community.
State Senator Bob Smith owner of the Piscataway law firm of Bob Smith and Associates, specializes in land use/zoning and planning. He proudly represents the rights and interests of the citizens of the 17th Legislative District, a dynamic and ever changing community, which includes parts of Middlesex and Somerset Counties. He is admitted to the New Jersey bar since 1981. He served in the New Jersey State Legislature since 1986, first as a State Assemblyman and more recently as State Senator, Bob Smith is considered one of the State’s leading environmental lawmakers. Smith recently worked to amend the New Jersey Constitution to provide for a stable source of funding for open space acquisition, farmland preservation and historic preservation.
