Chris Christie Signs 15 Bills Into Law, Vetoes 5 Others

Gov. Chris Christie signed 15 bills into law Wednesday — including one that creates a sterile syringe access program — but vetoed five others.

Christie signed legislation allowing any municipality to operate a sterile syringe access program, while directing the state health commissioner to invest $200,000 for syringes and supplies for five existing pilot programs.

The increased funding will provide more than a year’s worth of syringes and supplies to the existing programs in Atlantic City, Camden, Jersey City and Newark and Paterson.

The governor also line-item vetoed $95,000 that the state Legislature originally proposed in the Fiscal Year 2017 budget because it was insufficient to meet the needs of these programs.

“Individuals struggling with the disease of addiction are more likely to seek treatment if they participate in a Syringe Access Program,” said Christie. “These are programs that provide life-saving access to an array of vital services including testing, counseling and education as well as preventing the transmission of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.”

Syringe access programs have served nearly 22,000 individuals and each year distribute more than one million sterile syringes. In addition, the use of Naloxone — commonly known as Narcan — by these programs has saved hundreds of lives.

The governor also took the following action on other pending legislation:

BILL SIGNINGS:

S-20/A-20 (Sweeney, Beck/Downey, Houghtaling, Chiaravalloti, Wisniewski, Greenwald) - Prohibits person whose driver's license is suspended for DWI from operating NJT train

S-166/A-3901 (Bateman, Doherty/Singleton, Zwicker, DiMaio) - Establishes Hunterdon-Somerset Flood Advisory Task Force

S-1155/A-2696 (Diegnan/Johnson) - Regulates autocycles as motorcycles

S-1266/ACS for A-415 (Vitale, Gill/Eustace, Gusciora, Quijano) – w/STATEMENT - Establishes permanent sterile syringe access program

S-1880/A-1419 (Turner/Johnson, Wimberly, Pinkin, Bramnick, Mukherji) - Imposes certain requirements on telephone service contracts for inmates in certain correctional facilities

SJR-68/AJR-110 (Sweeney, Ruiz/Quijano, Mazzeo, Caride, Vainieri Huttle) - Urges Congress to ask US DOE and US DOL to modify regulations regarding Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to protect individuals with disabilities

A-1794/S-1826 (Burzichelli, Singleton, Mukherji/Oroho) - Concerns calculation of net premiums on certain life insurance policies for purposes of certain DOBI assessments

A-1934/S-1307 (Coughlin, Johnson, Andrzejczak, Rumana, Wimberly/Vitale, Cruz-Perez) - Exempts veterans' organizations from nonprofit corporation annual report filing fee

A-2224/S-1002 (Peterson, Sumter, DiMaio, Benson/Holzapfel, Greenstein) - Establishes "Secondhand Valuables Transaction Reporting Task Force"

A-2789/S-1835 (Greenwald, Burzichelli, DeAngelo, Mukherji/Whelan, Bateman) - Allows use of rear view backup camera and parking sensors during road test

A-3434/S-2187 (Greenwald, Eustace/Gill) - Permits abandoned prescription medication to be re-dispensed up to one year after original preparation

A-3540/S-2310 (Holley, Schaer, Kennedy/Diegnan, Oroho) - Provides that certain corporations bidding for public contracts may submit federal Securities and Exchange Commission filings to comply with requirement to disclose certain interest holders; requires submission by limited liability companies

A-3682/S-2080 (Kennedy, Bramnick, Holley, Rible/Scutari) - Permits animal facilities to use artificial turf in outdoor enclosures

AJR-46/SJR-57 (Schaer, Eustace, Benson, Johnson, Pinkin/Singer, Gordon) - Creates the "New Jersey Biotechnology Task Force"

AJR-103/SJR-70 (Houghtaling, Downey, Mukherji/Madden, O'Toole) - Designates November of each year as "Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month"

BILLS VETOED:

S-972/A-1788 (Sweeney, O'Toole, Ruiz/Burzichelli, Giblin, Pintor Marin) –CONDITIONAL - Establishes Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Advisory Board and certification program for child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams; appropriates $10 million

S-2361/A-3951 (Weinberg, Sarlo, Gordon/Vainieri Huttle, Lagana, Eustace, Caride, Mukherji, Schepisi) –CONDITIONAL - Authorizes certain county to establish county hospital authority; amends title of "Municipal Hospital Authority Law"

A-1877/S-1129 (Wimberly, Sumter, Jasey, Johnson/Rice, Ruiz) – CONDITIONAL - "Healthy Small Food Retailer Act"; provides funding to small food retailers to sell fresh and nutritious food

A-2576/S-1080 (Gusciora, Muoio, Caputo, Mukherji, Chiaravalloti, Houghtaling, Pintor Marin/Turner) –CONDITIONAL - Extends duration of urban enterprise zones for 10 additional years; specifies permissible use of funds

A-3744/S-2330 (McKeon, Vainieri Huttle, Caputo, Jasey, Downey/Codey, Vitale) – CONDITIONAL - Establishes law enforcement assisted addiction and recovery programs

Patch file photo