On November 9, four months after the PACE bill (A2579) passed the NJ Legislature with bipartisan majorities, Governor Christie’s office issued a “conditional veto,” limiting the program to a “pilot” with a maximum of ten towns, and excluding any town that has received Transitional Aid or other special assistance in the last three years.
Initially we thought we could live with such a program, but after reviewing the Governor’s conditions in detail, we realized that these were provisions that could ultimately prevent the program from being successful, and would also likely forestall the introduction of a new and improved bill as soon as possible. We’re still looking at all the options, and we’ll be posting at NewJerseyPACE.org the public statement we plan to circulate at the League of Municipalities Convention this week.
We are of course disappointed by this setback, but we will continue to provide an undiminished effort to bring a viable PACE program to the state of New Jersey.
Examining the Future of PACE in NJ Municipalities
As part of this effort, we’re scheduling a webinar on “The Future of PACE in NJ Municipalities” on Tuesday, December 15, from 11 a.m. to noon in order to provide municipal officials with sufficient information to consider becoming involved in the effort to make PACE viable in NJ. RSVP for the webinar to Victoria Zelin at vzelin@newjerseypace.org. Stay tuned for more such events and updates, and contact us if you have any additional questions.
Here is a copy of the veto language: A2579CV.
Our sincere thanks to all those who contacted the Governor’s office to ask him to sign the bill.
