Christie vetoes family planning bill
By Darryl R. Isherwood | July 23rd, 2010 - 4:35pmAfter nearly a month of waiting and support from several prominent Dmeocrats including Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Gov. Chris Christie has vetoed a bill that would restore family planning funding to the budget.
The bill has been championed by several female lawmaker, most notably Sen. Loretta Weinberg and Assemblywoman Linda Stender. The lawmakers had lobbied for weeks for Christie to sign the measure, even finding money to pay for the $7.5 million appropriation.
In a release several assembly members called the veto cruel and heartless.
"Restoring these programs would have saved lives and money and kept New Jerseyans - especially women - from needlessly dying from diseases that can be treated with proper screening, but Goc. Christie clearly has another agenda," Stender said.
Weinberg alos had harsh words for the governor, saying Christie had put ideology ahead of women's health.
“Governor Christie has sided with conservative politics against the women of the Garden State," Weinberg said. "However, despite this setback, we will push for a veto override. The bill was approved by a veto-proof majority in the Senate, and I believe we can win more support in the Assembly in an override attempt."
The bill was approved 40 to 10 in the senate, a margin that would overcome the veto. But it only garnered 42 votes in the assembly, enough to pass, but far below the number needed to override the veto.
In his veto message, the governor outlined several programs already included in the budget to provide healthcare for women, including those of low income. The governor also disputed the lawmakers' assertion that the restoration of the funds would be budget neutral. The sponsors said they found the money in a prescription drug line item that was over funded.
"The sponsors of the legislation claim that there is $7,453,000 available in the State Employees Prescription Drug Program Account," Christie wrote. "Based on the information provided to me by the Treasury Department's Office of Management and Budget the sponsors' assertion is incorrect."
Diverting that money, Christie continued, would put the account below the level cited by the state's actuaries to ensure that all claims are paid.
Christie initially had philosophical differences with the family planning funds and several of the discussions centered around abortion. But abortion funding was eventually removed form the mix, leaving the governor to focus his veto on finances.
The family planning centers provided health care to some 140,000 uninsured resident last year and the lawmakers had stressed that they provide much needed services for women including pap smears and mammograms.
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Two other bills were vetoed...
Democrats think money grows on trees or comes from outerspace. The sponsors can;t manage their own money, let alone everyone else's cash.
Override time
The Senate will hold firm. Time to put Republican Assembly people on notice.
Redundancy and Waste Thwarted Again
If the legislators would take the time to understand what family planning is they would not be so upset that pap tests and mammograms were off the table. Unless the Dems are saying that a female is nothing more than a vessel for bearing children, women’s general health has no more to do with family planning than treating hearing loss.
As Christie correctly points out, there are plenty of existing programs for low income families to obtain general healthcare services at low or no cost.
and Weinberg is not an ideologue?
If ideology was all that was at play here how is Christie's action any more ideological than Weinberg's relentless demand it be funded? From day one the failed candidate for Lt. Governor and her minions in the Assembly have unnecessarily injected scapegoat religion and ideology into this arguement. Fiscal Restraint is not an ideology any more than the Bernie Madoff revenue surplus to finance this is.
and Weinberg is not an ideologue?
If ideology was all that was at play here how is Christie's action any more ideological than Weinberg's relentless demand it be funded? From day one the failed candidate for Lt. Governor and her minions in the Assembly have unnecessarily injected scapegoat religion and ideology into this arguement. Fiscal Restraint is not an ideology any more than the Bernie Madoff revenue surplus to finance this is.
Bravo, Governor!
Doesn't Planned Parenthood already get hundreds of millions from the federal gov't? Let Democrats donate their own money to the eugenics mill if they believe in it so much.
The Best Governor
Fighting off the leeches has been grueling! Our governor is making progress each and every day. I am wondering, though, if these female law makers are aware that obama will take care of their voter base? *wink*
Thank you Governor Christie!
I totally agree with Governor Christie and I am sure the
majority of NJ voters including WOMEN do as well!
weinberg record
well here's another loss for the prune faced senator from 37. first she loses lt governor in a landslide. then her handpicked candidate to take on kasparian the dem chair can't get any support other tan hers. next she decides she is going to make the mayor of westwood the next candidate for freeholder. only one problem her opponents want the mayor of norhtvale. guess who wins at the convention. not her guy and it wasn't even close. next she decides to run someone for 37 chairman. but again her opponents run someone else and guess who wins. then her candidate for teanecj mayor goes down in flames and now her \support for this family planning bill signals it's demise. some powerful senator.
This woman of the Garden State supports the cut.
According to Weinberg, this cut is against the women of the Garden State. It is not. It's against subsidies and we, including women of the Garden State, have no more money to give...for anyone, for anything. Governor Christie, keep cutting.
Weinberg...
Ineffective... poor money manager... helped destroy the Ferriero democrat party in Bergen... one out of three ain't bad.