From The National Partnership for Women & Families Women’s Health Policy Report
July 26, 2010 — On Friday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) vetoed a bill (S 2139) that would have restored $7.5 million in state funding for family planning centers, which he cut from the state budget, the Bergen Record reports. Democratic lawmakers have said they intend to overturn Christie’s veto.
The measure would have provided state grants to 58 family planning clinics that offer contraception and preventive health screenings to uninsured residents. Twenty-nine of the clinics are operated by Planned Parenthood. According to the Record, 136,000 residents in 2009 received health screenings for sexually transmitted infections, cancer and diabetes at the clinics.
The bill would have continued the prohibition on the use of state funding for abortion services (Livio, Bergen Record, 7/23). According to the AP/CBS3, state money accounts for about one-quarter of the clinics’ budgets (Delli Santi, AP/CBS3, 7/22).
Christie cited the state’s “unprecedented financial difficulties” as part of his decision to veto the bill (Livio, Bergen Record, 7/23). The state government “simply cannot fund every worthy program,” Christie said in his veto message, adding that it was necessary to reduce spending “to levels that the taxpayers can afford.” He added, “Unchecked spending and out of control budget shortfalls of the past will not make it past the governor’s desk” (Livio, Trenton Times, 7/24).
The funding to restore the grants would have come from the state employee prescription drug account, which Christie had overbudgeted, according to the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services. However, Christie said that withdrawing the funds would “put the account below projected requirements established by the state’s actuaries to ensure that all claims will be paid.”
He added that “[r]eproductive health care services will continue to be available in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties, including Planned Parenthood clinics, local health department clinics, standing free clinics, and hospital-based clinics.”
State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D), one of the bill’s sponsors, said that the Democratic-controlled Legislature might have enough votes to override the veto. The bill passed the Senate with a veto-proof majority. The Assembly passed the bill 42-22, with 13 abstentions, and would need 58 votes for a veto override. Weinberg said, “No doubt, I will marshal the votes,” adding, “This will become an issue. I don’t want to spend the next year talking about it, but I will” (Bergen Record, 7/23).
