Gov. Chris Christie said benefits must be tied to completing a treatment program
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie rejected a bill Tuesday that would have allowed convicted drug offenders in New Jersey without children to receive welfare benefits.
State law prohibits childless adults with a conviction for drug use or possession after August 1996 from receiving General Assistance -- the formal name for the welfare program , unless they have completed a drug treatment program.
But parents who receive welfare do not have to undergo treatment in order to get public assistance.
The bill's sponsors, state Sens. Sandra Cunningham (D-Hudson) and Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) said they sponsored the bill to address this inequity between impoverished people.
"This bill looks to make the necessary changes to bring fairness to those who are trying to rebuild their lives and be productive citizens," Vitale said when the bill passed the Senate last month.
Lamenting the bill's demise, Vitale said it was "a common sense way to allow those who have served their time to follow strict rules to receive benefits. Otherwise it will shut them out of basic needs that would enable them to move on and improve their lives.
Christie "pocket-vetoed" the bill, meaning he declined to sign it into law and let it expire. But he took the extra step of explaining why he do so, in light of his public campaign to promote substance abuse treatment over incarceration.
"While I wholeheartedly support efforts to further assist individuals plagued by the epidemic of addiction, New Jersey already affords those individuals who have been convicted of possession or use of drugs the opportunity to receive benefits after the successful completion of a drug treatment program," according to the governor's veto message.
"The treatment requirement serves an important purpose of ensuring that individuals are actively engaged in their commitment to sobriety. I cannot sign a bill that undermines this important goal," Christie wrote.
There were 23,000 people receiving general assistance in October, the most recent data available on the Department of Human Services' website. General assistance recipients get a check of $140 a month, or $210 if they are deemed to be disabled and unable to work.
There are 28 states that offer welfare benefits to childless adults. New Jersey is one of four of these states that deny public assistance to convicted drug offenders, according to the Senate Majority Office.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.