Chris Christie Signs 16 Bills, Vetoes Attempt To Stop Trump Travel Ban

TRENTON, NJ — Gov. Chris Christie has signed 16 bills and vetoed six others, including an effort to stop President Donald Trump's travel ban in New Jersey.

Trump's order calls for a 90-day ban on entry to the U.S. from six countries with large Muslim populations and a 120-day ban on admitting all refugees in order to give the administration time to improve screening efforts to ensure terrorists do not sneak into the country.

Christie vetoed an effort by Democratic state lawmakers to forbid the Port Authority from using its resources to help enforce the travel ban at its airports, which include Newark Liberty.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democrat from Middlesex, a co-sponsor of the bill, told NJ101.5 in March that if the Trump administration is intent on pursuing "this misguided policy, it’s going to have to be up to them, not us, to enforce it."

In his veto letter, Christie said advancing a bill that compels the Port Authority to "violate state or federal law is the epitome of irresponsible governing."

Christie said the state Legislature is "politically motivated," saying it "elected to waste the time and resources of the state’s taxpayers on a political stunt that represents an abject disregard of its inherent duty to govern responsibly."

"The legislature’s disregard for the rule of law and the United States Constitution is a disservice to the citizens of New Jersey," Christie wrote. "If the legislature had methodically considered the consequences of its actions instead of rushing this bill through the New Jersey Senate without reference, the legislature may have realized the implications of its actions and elected to expend taxpayer monies and resources more wisely by passing the Port Authority reform measures that the state of New York already has enacted."

Here are Christie's other signings and vetoes:

BILL SIGNINGS:

S-1451/A-3856 (Ruiz, Allen/Holley, McKnight, Singleton) - Directs DOE to make database of special education decisions available on website

S-2059/A-3769 (Weinberg/Vainieri Huttle, Mukherji) - Requires DOH to ensure that fetal death certification and reporting requirements are consistent with current federal standards

S-2348/A-3799 (Ruiz, Diegnan/Lampitt, Vainieri Huttle, Muoio, Oliver, Mosquera, DiMaio, McKnight, Mukherji) - Includes students who participate in school intramural sports programs in the student-athlete head injury safety program

S-2492/A-4091 (Gordon, O'Toole/Eustace, Chiaravalloti, Mukherji, Benson, Jasey) - Enhances resident voting participation rights in common interest communities

S-2878/A-4523 (Vitale, Codey/Schaer, Singleton, Vainieri Huttle, Pinkin) - Requires DOH to permit certain health care facilities to use shared clinical space when providing primary health care and behavioral health care for mild to moderate behavioral health conditions

SJR-50/AJR-69 (Weinberg, Gordon/DiMaio, Pinkin, Quijano) - Designates April as "Genocide Awareness Month"

SJR-62/AJR-96 (Codey/Eustace, Lampitt, Pinkin, Mukherji, Jones, Downey, Rooney) - Designates month of May of each year as "Mental Health Awareness Month"

A-374/S-2462 (Auth, Prieto, Schepisi, Jimenez, Mukherji/Sacco, Cruz-Perez) - Prohibits MVC from imposing duplicate license or identification card fee and digitized picture fee if duplicate is requested to reflect change in organ donor status

A-2181/S-2809 (Caride, Schaer/Sarlo) - Prohibits NJTA from requiring county guarantee to provide maintenance of pedestrian bridge under certain circumstances when determining approval for construction of pedestrian bridge

A-2690/S-1944 (Johnson, Rible, Dancer, O'Scanlon, Space, Phoebus/Cardinale, Van Drew) - Expands list of retired law enforcement officers eligible to carry handgun

A-4334/S-2724 (Conaway, Pinkin/Codey, Vitale) - Requires alternative payment models to register with DOH; permits health care practitioners to refer patients to health care service in which the practitioner has beneficial interest when related to alternative payment model

A-4350/S-2914 (Eustace, Karabinchak/Greenstein) - Precludes DEP from imposing certain certification requirements on installers of individual subsurface sewage disposal systems

A-4583/S-2991 (Zwicker, Conaway, Land, Downey, Houghtaling/Turner, T. Kean) - Appropriates $2,988,859 from 2009 Historic Preservation Fund and constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to provide capital preservation grants for certain historic preservation projects

AJR-27/SJR-59 (Muoio, Gusciora, Benson, Eustace, Pinkin, Sumter, Mukherji/Turner) - Designates May of each year as "Asthma Awareness Month"

S-3239/A-4889 (Sweeney, Whelan/Burzichelli, Taliaferro, Mazzeo) - Designates portion of US Highway Route 40 in Upper Pittsgrove Township as "John R. Elliott HERO Campaign Way"

A-4999/S-3336 (Taliaferro, DiMaio/Sweeney) - Designates portion of Route 44 in Borough of Paulsboro as “John D. Burzichelli Bridge”

BILLS VETOED:

S-587/A-2937 (Cunningham/Sumter, Mukherji, Quijano) – ABSOLUTE - Requires incarcerated individual from State to be counted at residential address for legislative redistricting purposes

S-677/A-3677 (Rice, Turner/Wimberly, Singleton, Holley, Tucker, Sumter, Quijano) – CONDITIONAL - Requires racial and ethnic impact statement for certain bills and regulations affecting sentencing

S-806/A-2463 (Weinberg, Gordon/Eustace, Vainieri Huttle, Caride, Muoio, Lagana, Lampitt, Mukherji) – CONDITIONAL - Requires owner or operator of certain trains to have discharge response, cleanup, and contingency plans to transport certain hazardous materials by rail; requires NJ DOT to request bridge inspection reports from US DOT

S-3006/A-4589 (Weinberg, Gordon/Vainieri Huttle, Quijano, Wisniewski, Johnson, Mukherji) – ABSOLUTE - Prohibits PANYNJ from providing assistance for enforcement of March 6, 2017 US Executive Order banning entry into US of individuals from certain countries

A-1855/S-3123 (Wimberly, Prieto, Oliver, Sumter/Cruz-Perez, Cunningham) – CONDITIONAL - Concerns outreach and training for minorities and women in the construction industry

A-4701/S-3059 (Eustace, Zwicker, Vainieri Huttle, Gusciora, Kennedy, Benson, Jasey/Sweeney, Smith) – ABSOLUTE - Requires State full participation in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

Patch file photo