TRENTON — Two lawmakers who have asked Gov. Chris Christie to restore a $7.5 million grant supporting family planning and women's health clinics finally met with the governor today, but said they don't know what he will do. Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno met with Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union), to hear firsthand why...
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Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union) spoke with Gov. Chris Christie today about restoring funds to family planning services.TRENTON — Two lawmakers who have asked Gov. Chris Christie to restore a $7.5 million grant supporting family planning and women's health clinics finally met with the governor today, but said they don't know what he will do.
Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno met with Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union), to hear firsthand why they want him to sign their bill reinstating a $7.5 million grant he eliminated that had been shared by 58 family planning clinics in the state.
After the hour-long closed-door meet at his Statehouse office, both lawmakers said they felt "encouraged."
"He was receptive,'' Weinberg said. "I think he was not aware of services provided'' by the clinics.
The clinics provided 136,000 uninsured people with health screenings and birth control last year, including 70,000 breast exams and more than 60,000 gynecological pap tests, according to clinic operators.
"I think he gave us a feeling he understands now what is at stake,'' Weinberg said. "He said he would get back to us soon.''
Christie's spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Stender and Weinberg said Christie told them his decision to eliminate the grant was based on fiscal reasons, and had nothing to do with his opposition to abortion rights, or because Planned Parenthood clinics are a major is recipient of the grant money.
Clinic operators say they are prohibited already from using the money to pay for abortion services, and the Stender/Weinberg bill emphasizes that fact.
They said they also discussed disparaging comments Assemblyman and Republican State Committee Chairman Jay Webber (R-Morris) made about Planned Parenthood. The governor, according to Weinberg, said "that was not his issue with this. He said he was not responsible for what everybody says.''
Stender said Democratic lawmakers are unlikely to hold another news conference urging Christie to sign the bill.
"I think it was a good faith meeting on both of our parts,'' she said. "Now we're waiting to hear from him.''
If the governor wants to veto the bill, he has 45 business days to act from the date it passed by both legislative houses, which was June 30. Otherwise the bill becomes law and the money is restored.
