Governor Send Back Bill on New Jersey's Special Needs Centers

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A task force set up by the New Jersey Legislature to facilitate closing residential centers for people with developmental disabilities was put on hold Thursday by Gov. Chris Christie, putting in limbo the movement to shift disabled individuals from institutions to less restrictive, community-based settings.
The governor sent the bill to create the task force back to lawmakers with a conditional veto, asking for changes he said would better equip the state to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Almost immediately after, the state Senate voted unanimously to adopt Christie's changes, but those changes still need another vote in the Senate and approval from the Assembly before the bill can go back to Christie's desk.