Governor vetoes bills approved by the Senate and Assembly
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a conference in this file photo.
TRENTON — It took about two minutes from the time Senate President Steve Sweeney certified the passage of the millionaires tax package for Gov. Chris Christie to veto the bills at his desk.
"While I have little doubt that the sponsors and supporters of this bill sincerely believe that the state can tax its way out of this financial crisis, I believe that this bill does nothing more than repeat the failed, irresponsible and unsustainable fiscal policies of the past," wrote Christie in his veto statement. "Now is not the time for more of the same. Ultimately, another tax increase will punish the state’s struggling small businesses and set our economy further back from recovery."
After the state Senate passed the bill, which had already passed the Assembly, Sweeney walked the bills down the hallways of the Statehouse, from the state Senate chambers to the governor's office. Once inside, he handed the bills to Christie, who was waiting.
"What took you so long ?" asked Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak.
Christie sat at a wooden desk emblazoned with the seal of the state of New Jersey and swiftly signed vetoes.
"We'll be back, governor," said Sweeney.
"Alright, we'll see," said Christie.
Democrats would need two-thirds majority in both houses of the Legislature to override the veto.
"This is something we're not going away on," said Sweeney. "This isn't theater, this isn't a gimmick."
By Matt Freidman/Statehouse Bureau and Lisa Fleisher/Statehouse Bureau
Previous coverage:
•
N.J. 'millionaires tax' is approved by the Senate
• N.J. Assembly approves property tax rebates to seniors, 'millionaires tax'
• Gov. Chris Christie prepares N.J. AARP for a budget 'they probably wouldn't like'
• N.J. Dems plan to pass millionaires tax, despite Christie's veto threats
• N.J. Gov. Christie restores senior health care funds, prepares to fight on 'millionaires tax'
• N.J. Democrats vow to push ahead with 'millionaires tax' vote
• N.J. Gov. Christie reverses senior prescription drug funding cuts
• Complete coverage of the 2010 New Jersey State Budget
| Democratic lawmakers advance ‘millionaires tax’ |
| N.J. Democrats call for millionaires to contribute to 'shared sacrifice' in tax hike proposal |