TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey’s Democrat-led Legislature and Republican Gov. Chris Christie stood at a budget impasse on Thursday, complicated by the governor’s proposal to use surplus funds from the state’s largest health insurer to help finance opioid treatment.
Lawmakers considered more than 200 bills and resolutions Thursday, but missing from the lineup was the proposed fiscal year 2018 budget.
Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto said the disagreement centered on Christie’s idea to use $300 million from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield’s surplus to finance opiate addiction treatment. Prieto said he is not willing to consider the bill as part of budget talks.
Senate President Steve Sweeney said he and Democratic state Sen. Joe Vitale, of Middlesex County, are working on legislation that would achieve part of Christie’s aim but that wouldn’t result in premium increases for ratepayers, which has been a major sticking point for the health care company and the source of its opposition to the plan.
Lawmakers are willing to consider another Christie priority as part of the budget talks, though: transferring the state lottery to the indebted pension fund as an asset to lower the state’s annual obligation.
Prieto said the governor was willing to accept his and Sweeney’s plan to overhaul school funding, but with “tweaks,” which he declined to detail.
Prieto estimated a budget could be in committee early next week with a vote later in the week.
Lawmakers considered a crush of some nearly 250 measures, a budget-time tradition, according to Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who said the reason is that lawmakers do not typically meet again after the spending document is passed.
All 120 seats are up for re-election on Nov. 7.
Among the measures that were advanced in the Legislature Thursday:
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SMOKING AGE
New Jersey lawmakers again sent a measure to Christie to raise the smoking age in the state to 21.
The Democratic-controlled state Assembly on Thursday approved raising the age to 21 from 19 for purchasing tobacco or electronic cigarette devices. The Senate previously approved the measure and it’s now up to Christie, who vetoed a similar measure in January 2016.
New Jersey would be the second state to have a smoking age of 21, along with Hawaii.
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’JOAN’S LAW’
Lawmakers approved a measure to mandate prison sentences of life without parole for anyone convicted of killing a minor during the course of a sex crime.
The so-called “Joan’s Law” has already mandated the sentence for any victim under 14. The change extends the punishment for victims between 14 and 18.
The law is named in the memory of 7-year-old Joan Angela D’Alessandro, who was raped and killed by a neighbor while delivering boxes of Girl Scout cookies in 1973.
It needs Christie’s signature.
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FIREWORKS SALES
Lawmakers sent a bill to Christie’s desk to legalize the sale of sparklers and novelty fireworks.
The law would allow people 16 and older to buy wire sparklers, non-explosive handheld or ground-based sparking devices and other items like smoke devices and trick noisemakers.
Assemblyman John Burzichelli said that most states allow residents to buy that type of fireworks and that changing the law will let the state participate in the consumer pyrotechnics industry.
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PAID FAMILY LEAVE
A measure to expand the state’s family leave law was passed by the Legislature, 49-23, with three abstentions. It still needs to be debated in the state Senate and would need Christie’s OK.
The bill would increase family temporary disability benefits from six to 12 weeks and increase the amount of weekly benefits that someone could claim.
Prieto said that the state’s family leave law is “underused and needs improvement.” He said the bill passed Thursday represents a step forward.
The measure would allow people to use the benefits to take care of a victim of domestic violence or a sexual attack.
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