Veto Overrides Planned On Port Authority Reform

The New Jersey state Senate will probably vote next month as it attempts to override Gov. Chris Christie’s recent veto of a bill aimed at overhauling the Port Authority.

Sen. Robert Gordon said Tuesday that a vote is planned for either Jan. 13, when Christie is scheduled to give his annual State of the State address, or Jan. 15.

Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill Saturday that had passed unanimously in both legislatures and that would have required an annual audit, the creation of an inspector general’s office, restrictions on lobbying and a program to protect whistleblowers.

The governors instead embraced their own panel’s reforms, which included installing a single executive officer instead of two senior officials from each state, as well as calling for the resignation of all commissioners.

Gordon said that he’s optimistic Democrats can get the two-thirds needed to override, but he realizes the move typically fails. In New York, an Assembly spokesman said it’s not “practical” for legislators to vote on an override in such a short time.

This article appeared in print on page 4 of the January 1st, 2015 edition of Hamodia.