Christie releases funds to nonprofits
Some nonprofits and other programs whose state funding was put on hold by Gov. Christie earlier this year will now be able to access it.
Some nonprofits and other programs whose state funding was put on hold by Gov. Christie earlier this year will now be able to access it.
Christie said Tuesday that he would release $33 million he had placed in reserve, citing progress in negotiating state health-care costs. Programs affected by Christie's announcement include assistance for Holocaust survivors in South Jersey, domestic-violence prevention services, and cancer research.
A variety of nonprofits and municipalities saw funding from the state frozen June 30, when Christie issued an executive order placing nearly $100 million in reserve. The Republican governor said the hold was necessary because the Democratic-controlled Legislature had sent him a budget assuming $250 million in health-care savings without provisions to achieve them.
Earlier this summer, Christie had released $53 million in transitional aid to municipalities, which also had been on hold. The governor said Tuesday that the rest of the reserved spending would be held "until additional savings are enacted."
Christie has taken other steps to fill a potential budget hole, earlier this month announcing plans to end the income-tax reciprocity agreement between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The move would net New Jersey an additional $180 million per year, though some residents in both states would see their taxes increase.
The governor said he would consider abandoning the change if lawmakers reduce worker health-care costs.
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