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Christie pledges $100M for drug treatment in state address

“We can find the true measure of our compassion”, Christie said, prompting standing applause.

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His critics “will snipe regardless of the significant initiatives launched and accomplishments achieved during his term, including the past year”, Christie spokesman Brian Murray said in an email to Reuters, adding that Christie on Tuesday would discuss “how he will continue his robust agenda in the months to come”. Christie has also repeatedly highlighted that the state’s private sector added about 224,000 jobs since he was first inaugurated.

“It’s frustrating when you don’t want to focus on the problems of the state and you just want to get everyone fighting with each other”, said Senate President Steve Sweeney, a Democrat who is expected to run for governor in 2017.

The speech comes on the cusp of the presidential primaries leading up to the November 2016 general election.

Obama is to deliver his final State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.

Essentially, the proposals differed in who should operate the new gambling venues and how much of the revenue they generate should go to Atlantic City in a bid to help it fight off in-state competition.

Democrats in response insist Christie had his political interests front and center.

If the proposed constitutional amendment passes both chambers in the next session, it could go on the 2016 ballot for voters to decide. Mr. Christie has traveled extensively since launching his bid, and was slated to campaign in New Hampshire on Wednesday.

Christie has made treating drug addiction as an illness a top priority in his time in office. “We must give all our citizens the chance to reclaim their lives”.

Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian said Tuesday was “Atlantic City’s Pearl Harbor”, saying the state had attacked his city by surprise.

Christie pledged to “aggressively prioritize” regulatory relief for charter schools and touted their success in troubled districts like Newark and Camden.

“All we’re going to hear tonight about the big challenges that we face today as a nation is a lot of hot air from not only from Congress but from the White House as well”, Christie said.

Christie said that his time in office has led to the best job creation numbers in 15 years and has lowered the unemployment rate by over 5 percent. He…

“Christie’s speech was a combination of playing to a New Hampshire audience and addressing concerns about his candidacy, some raised by his opponents, ” said Geoffrey Skelley of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. None did. Christie also proposed turning a recently closed state prison into a dedicated drug treatment facility for prison inmates and raising reimbursement rates for drug and mental health facilities. “The state is not going to come in and bail you out anymore, you need to fix this”.

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The Republican presidential candidate said Democrats would have to raise taxes to live up to their proposal to make the payments, calling on whoever voted for the change to raise their hands if they supported tax increases.

New Jersey casino union backs Senate bill