Legislation passed Senate one vote shy of necessary two-thirds majority needed to overturn a potential veto by Gov. Chris Christie
State Sen. Loretta Weinberg has been an avid supporter of restoring funds to women's health and family planning centers cut by Christie last year. TRENTON — The state Senate has passed a bill to restore $7.45 million in funding for family planning centers that Gov. Chris Christie cut last year.
The legislation (S2899) seeks to take advantage of an unexpected state revenue boost estimated between $511 million and $913 million. Introduced last week and put on the fast track to passage, the bill cleared the Senate 26 to 13 – just one vote short of the two-thirds majority necessary to overturn a potential veto by Christie.
“We are in the second decade of the 21st century, and the fight over poor women’s access to birth control I thought was finished,” said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen).
The centers provide birth control, disease testing and prenatal care. Since the budget cuts last year, six of the state’s original 58 have closed.
Christie last year cut the funds to the clinics, saying the state could not afford it and the services were already available at Federally Qualified Health Centers. But Democrats accused Christie of cutting the funds because of his ideological beliefs while couching the decision in budgetary language. Christie vetoed two attempts by Weinberg to restore the funds, as well as a bill earmarking $1 million to expand Medicaid family planning services so New Jersey could apply for $15 million in federal reimbursement.
The bill was introduced only last week and, in a rare move, posted for a vote in the full Senate without going through committee first.
“We are going down a slippery slope when we bypass the process,” said state Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris). "Bypass the process of listening to a bill in committee, debating a bill in committee, bringing it out on the floor and debating it here.”
In addition to restoring the $7.45 million, the legislation that passed today would require the state to earmark $1 million of its Medicaid funds to get a federal match of $9 million for family planning services for women with incomes of up to twice the poverty level.
Although state money legally cannot pay for abortions, pro-life protesters at the Statehouse today said it doesn’t matter because the some of the centers are run by Planned Parenthood and funds are interchangeable. Of the 29 clinics run by the organization, three provide abortions.
State Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen) said Planned Parenthood “supports abortion at every turn.”
“This bill is not about women’s health, it’s about partisan politics,” he said.
Previous coverage:
• N.J. Sen. Weinberg: Christie's cuts on health centers are a 'war on women'
• State Sen. Weinberg says she will fight budget unless $1M for women's health is included
• Christie vetoes bill to expand Medicaid to more women seeking family-planning services
• N.J. lawmakers encourage Gov. Christie to restore $7.5M for women's health, family planning clinics