Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan says he is searching for the seven Republicans needed to override the veto
The New Jersey Assembly debate and vote on NJ's "millionaires tax" bill at the Statehouse in Trenton in June.TRENTON — The Assembly Democrats are taking one last stab at raising taxes on the rich to pay for property tax rebates for senior citizens and disabled residents, scheduling a vote for Monday in a long-shot effort to override Gov. Chris Christie's veto.
Christie last month quickly vetoed the so-called "millionaires tax," which would have raised taxes on residents who make more than $1 million a year to restore some property tax rebates the Republican governor eliminated in his $29.3 billion 2011 budget.
"As Democrats, we believe that we must stand tall for what we believe ideologically," said Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex). "We continue to hope that there are Republican legislators in the assembly that understand that getting some semblance of property tax relief now is very important for older adults in this state."
The one-year tax increase would likely bring in about $600 million, said David Rosen, the budget and finance officer for the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services.
The Senate will also hold a vote if the Assembly vote is successful, said Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who has the power to control which bills go up for a vote in that house. The sometimes-arcane rules of the legislature require that the first house to take up bills also be the starting point for any veto attempt -- which, in this case, means the Assembly votes first.
The Democrat-controlled legislature has two weeks to pass a budget before the start of the next fiscal year.
Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan (D-Union) said he was searching for the seven Republicans needed for the override. He could not name one he thought would break party lines.
But Assemblyman Joseph Malone (R-Burlington) said the Democrats’ chances of securing the two-thirds majority necessary to override Christie’s veto were “less than zero.”
“I don’t anticipate any Republicans voting to override the governor’s veto,” said Malone, the Assembly Republican Budget Officer.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said state has been taxed enough.
"Where do you begin? It's another vote in favor of killing jobs and economic growth," he said of the Democrats' planned vote. "If they want to be on record a second time in a matter of weeks for voting to raise taxes, that's on them."
With little hope for a successful veto override, lawmakers have been working on a budget compromise that would have Republican lawmakers this year sponsoring -- or putting their names atop -- the bills that contain the annual state budget. Drewniak said the governor expected to have Republicans "in line" to sponsor the bills. Democrats are trying to distance themselves from massive cuts in a tough budget year, including $820 million from schools and $446 million from municipalities.
Still, the state is not in the clear, with major legislation still needed to implement Christie's budget cuts to deal with revenue shortfalls in the 2010 budget, which must be balanced when the books close in two weeks.
Malone said the situation reminded him of 2006, when a budget impasse between the Legislature and Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine shut the state for eight days.
“The more we do this, the closer we get to actually having a shutdown. If we don’t come to the realization now that there is no money, and the governor isn’t going to be satisfied with any significant changes to his budget, then we’re at an impasse," he said. "It’s a shame that we have to go through this. It’s a shame that we have this folly.”
Senior lawmakers have said for weeks there is no appetite for shutting state government, which would halt non-essential state government operations, except for casinos. Christie has ordered his administration to make preparations in the "unlikely" chance of a fight.
By Lisa Fleisher and Matt Friedman/Statehouse Bureau
Previous coverage:
• N.J. Gov. Chris Christie swiftly vetoes 'millionaires tax,' property tax rebate bills
• N.J. Assembly, Senate panels approve 'millionaires tax,' Gov. Chris Christie vows to veto it
| 'Millionaires tax' bills pass both houses, but are vetoed by Gov. Christie |