Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, vetoed a bill that would have rolled back a controversial gun law. The bill would have required dealers to carry just one smart gun model.
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Christie also rejected a bill barring those convicted of gang criminality, carjacking, racketeering and making terroristic threats from owning or buying a gun. Opposition from gun-rights groups have kept the personalized weapons from the market. He did not give a reason for not acting on the bill.
Asked to comment on leaving the law in place, Christie spokeswoman Joelle Farrell avoided the smart gun issue and focused instead on the “pocket veto period in general”.
Almost 60,000, or 12.9 percent, of the state’s high school students smoke, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
“Now that the bill has been vetoed, we will work to present a constructive and refined approach that will provide certainty to hospitals and municipalities while addressing any concerns the governor may have”, she said.
Hawaii recently became the first state to raise its smoking age to 21, and similar measures have been introduced in eight other states and the District of Columbia.
Lawmakers passed the bill in response to a decision last summer by a state Tax Court judge who ruled Morristown Medical Center had evolved over the years to include for-profit operations and should have paid Morristown property taxes.
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Under the bill, hospitals’ community service fees would help pay for public safety costs in their municipalities and counties. Marlton-based Virtua Health would owe more than $1 million total to a couple municipalities.
