(TRENTON) – Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Jerry Green (D-Union/Middlesex/Somerset) released the following statement on Tuesday condemning the governor’s veto of legislation (A-2950 and A-2168) that would have created more affordable housing in New Jersey:
“New Jersey is one of the most expensive states in the nation to live in. If these vetoes are any indication, the governor wants to keep it that way. Unlike the million dollar earners he so vehemently protects, not everyone can afford a decent place to live. We sought to tackle this imbalance with these bills, but like other legislation aimed at helping poor working class families, the governor nixed it.
“Both bills would have facilitated the creation of affordable housing. The bill A-2168 went a step further by turning foreclosed residential properties into affordable housing. Abandoned properties are unsightly, are magnets for criminal activity and drag down the property values of other homes in the neighborhood. This bill could have helped rid neighborhoods of these nuisance properties while providing more reasonable housing opportunities, but these benefits were lost on this administration.
“The governor spent a good amount of time yesterday talking about helping the people of New Jersey. I’m not sure what segment of the population he was referring to, but it’s certainly not the working class families of New Jersey. Under this administration, they are on their own.”