CODEY STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FUNDING ULTIMATUM

TRENTON – Senator Richard J. Codey (D-Essex/Morris) today issued the following statement on the governor’s education funding ultimatum reportedly issued during negotiations:

“Governor Christie’s ultimatum tying the funding for our children’s education to him getting his way in grabbing $300 million from our state’s largest health insurer at a time of extreme uncertainty in the healthcare market is a shot at our kids and a shot at all of our healthcare protections.

“If this wasn’t enough, the Governor also wants to use this moment to ram through a funding scheme with the state lottery that could jeopardize the funding in this state for higher education financial assistance, state psychiatric hospitals, and assisting the developmentally disabled, among others. The lottery proposal is coming from a governor with 11 credit downgrades, so it is no surprise the administration has been very short on specifics surrounding this plan, and rather wants us to simply trust them and approve this Penn and Teller magic show scheme – well, no thanks.

“School funding, the attempt to raid $300 million from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and the proposal to shift the lottery into the pension funds are three separate issues that clearly will have wide ranging impacts across the state and should be judged on their own merits, not grouped together as a ‘take it or leave it’ deal.”