TRENTON – Gov. Chris Christie conditionally vetoed two bills today dealing with tax credits for hiring jobless people and establishing a workforce development commission.
S2211/A3312, the “New Jobs for New Jersey Act,” would provide tax credits to small businesses that hire unemployed workers.
However, Christie said in his CV message that this bill could drain approximately $2 billion by 2020 “without offering a revenue source or any concrete evidence that it would lead to increased employment.”
Christie urged that the Department of Labor conduct a review of this and similar tax credit programs to see if they would boost long-term employment.
The other bill he turned back, S2483/A3794, would have set up the “New Jersey Workforce Development and Education Commission.”
Christie CV’d this bill because it would create three new government agencies whose responsibilities already fall under the State Employment and Training Commission.
Rather that create more bureaucracy, the governor rejected the bill conditionally and recommended that SETC issue a report on ways to improve New Jersey’s schools and public institutions of higher education.
The bill would have established the “New Jersey Workforce Development and Education Commission,” the “Education Advisory Board,” and the “Business and Workforce Advisory Board.” They would have issued reports on how schools can better prepare students to meet work force needs.
