By Lauren Wanko
Correspondent
Gov. Chris Christie conditionally vetoed it last week. But today, Senate President Steve Sweeney announced plans to move his Sandy Bill of Rights legislation forward.
“We’re starting an override movement to override his veto,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney says his legislation would require a plain language explanation of what is needed to be eligible and to apply for Sandy recovery programs. It’d give storm victims greater rights, as they apply for aid and navigate through the application process, among other things. The bill passed in both houses by a combined vote of 106 to 0.
“We are going to be working very hard to get 27 votes in the Senate. We got 40. Shouldn’t be an issue,” Sweeney said.
In his conditional veto message, Gov. Christie acknowledges the bill contains provisions to build upon a mutual goal of progress in distributing aid and further improving transparency. “In many instances, however,” Christie writes, “the bill’s requirements are redundant, conflict with federal standards, or impose unnecessary burdens on the aid distribution process.”
“We actually have in the bill any provision that violates any area, it doesn’t we recognize federal law on top of everything else,” said Sweeney.
A Christie spokesperson tells NJTV News, “We remain hopeful that the legislature will adopt the bill with Gov. Christie’s improvements to ensure federal recovery aid ensure do not violate federal requirements to ensure we can continue as much aid to as many Sandy-affected families as possible.”
Gov. Christie recommended changes he says improve upon the original legislation.
“One of the pieces he vetoed would eliminate the ability of applicants to check their status on a secure, private website, which really they should be able to do,” said Staci Berger of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.
Manasquan homeowner Matthew Tool and his family are still not back their home.
Flood waters inundated the Tools’ home. They received the $10,000 resettlement grant and also applied for the RREM grant program, but Tool says right now they’re unaware of the status of their application.
“It’s been 18 months of misery right now,” Tool said.
Sandy damaged 60 percent of the homes in Manasquan.
“We still have least 40 houses in town that haven’t even been touched. A lot has to do with they can’t get funded,” said Councilman Edward Donovan.
“Unfortunately in this state the Gov doesn’t want to listen that they failed when it came to the clean up,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney says he plans to work aggressively with Republican legislators and hopes to override the governor’s conditional veto by the end June.