Chris Christie signed a slew of bills on Monday, his final full day in office, but one of the many bills he failed to sign (called a “pocket veto”) drew the ire of a veterans Republican legislator.
“Today, I feel what so many others have felt over the past 8 years with Governor Christie — sheer disappointment,” said Asw. Holly Schepisi (R-39) of Bergen County via her Facebook page. “I am the sponsor of A-536, a bill that helps our volunteer firefighters, ambulance corps workers and others remain as volunteers without fear of losing their state pension after retiring. I worked for 2 years to get A-536 passed through a democratically controlled legislature. It finally passed UNANIMOUSLY through both the Senate and Assembly. We called the Governor’s office to ensure he would sign my bill. Today, with no explanation, no phone call, no heads up, on his last day as Governor, he pocket vetoed the bill meaning the entire process must start again.”
Christie DID, however, find time to sign the bill which gives former Camden Mayor Dana Redd the opportunity to significantly pad her pension.
“The impact of this pocket veto is that good people who work within our communities cannot continue to volunteer as firefighters, EMT’s and the like if they retire from a municipal job as they may lose their pension. It makes no sense whatsoever to veto this bill. For my volunteer friends, I promise that the first thing I will do with our new Governor is to push this bill forward,” added Schepisi.
Democrat Phil Murphy will replace Christie as governor at noon on Tuesday.
The outgoing Governor’s approval rating sunk to 13% in a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this month.
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