What to Know
- New Jersey's new Democratic governor signed legislation Wednesday setting aside about $7.5 million for family-planning and women's health
- It's the first bill that Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law since succeeding Republican Chris Christie last month
- Christie vetoed similar legislation throughout his two terms, saying the funding circumvented the budget process
New Jersey's new Democratic governor signed legislation Wednesday setting aside about $7.5 million for family-planning and women's health.
It's the first bill that Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law since succeeding Republican Chris Christie last month. Christie vetoed similar legislation throughout his two terms, saying the funding circumvented the budget process.
The funding for providers like Planned Parenthood is a small fraction of the state's nearly $35 billion budget, but the legislation has taken on political significance during the Christie's administration.
“We cannot immediately undo the damage of eight years of vetoed women’s health care funding under Governor Christie,” Murphy said in a statement. “But we can put the era of putting personal politics before the needs of countless thousands of New Jerseyans behind us.”
Murphy said on the day he took office that signing the legislation was a top priority.
Democrats who control the Legislature say funding is needed for preventive care, including breast and cervical cancer screenings and praised the bill's passage.
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Republicans questioned the expenditure because Planned Parenthood also makes political expenditures through its political action group. The legislation bars funding from being used for abortions.
Republican Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi said she would have voted for the bill but changed her mind and abstained after the state Planned Parenthood declined to "open its books" so lawmakers could see how it spends its money.
Murphy also signed legislation providing Medicaid coverage for family planning services to low-income individuals.
Murphy also announced that the state will remove NJ FamilyCare’s restriction on Long-Acting Reversible Contraception immediately post-partum, which will decrease the chances of rapid repeat pregnancies that have higher incidence of costly complications, including low birth weight and an increased rate of preterm delivery.
