what away to go - reverses veto?

http://blogs.app.com/capitolquickies/ ... strike-that-reverse-it-2/

Strike that, reverse it
January 19, 2010 ? 1:27 pm
By Michael Symons

About those five vetoes Gov. Jon Corzine issued Monday night among his final few acts as governor ? turns out there were only four.

Corzine?s press office distributed a revised news release this morning, with 12 minutes left in his term, that moved S3157/A4264 from the list of ?bills vetoed? to the list of bills he signed. (Not that the change was actually announced in the release, you just had to compare the two lists.)

That new law limits citizens? rights under their initiative and referendum powers to put questions on the ballot that would change the size of the local governing body and how they?re elected ? for instance, whether to switch from at-large council seats to more local ward-based elections. Now they can?t be held more frequently than once every 10 years, as opposed to two, three or four years.

The bill ? which was introduced and passed in just a week earlier this month ? was enacted with the minimum number of votes needed in both the Senate and Assembly. It is retroactive to public questions on the November 2009 ballot.

Bill-Killed


Vetoed


thanks to everyone who called or emailed the governor's office.

please call the governor's office if you have not done so already. a little time taken today, may help keep the power of I&R available to us in future.

thanks.

Please call Gov. Corzine and ask him to VETO S3157 that would restrict Initiative and Referendum - 609.292.6000

Note that we effectively used I&R law to bring Contracting Pay-to-Play reform law to the City Council which then approved it rather than have it proceed to the voters.


from NJ Appleseed (http://www.njappleseed.net/):

Despite the work of New Jersey activists, the State Assembly has passed bill S3157--legislation that would seriously weaken the rights of citizens living in Faulkner Act municipalities to self-govern. To preserve citizen legislative power, we must contact Governor Corzine and urge him NOT TO SIGN this bill.

Contact Governor Corzine

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine
State House
Trenton, NJ 08625
Fax:(609)292-5212
Tel:(609)292-6000
Online

What this Bill means for Citizen Activists

Right now, those living in towns organized under the Faulkner Act (also known as Municipal Optional Charter law) have the right to pass ordinances themselves, by getting the measure either before the town Council or on the ballot through a process known as Initiation and Referendum (I&R).

Bill S3157 would weaken that right of empowerment, by severely limiting the number of times a citizens' group may use the I&R process. Currently, an I&R petition to change the length of the term of office for elected officials can be brought once every 3 years, and a petition to change in the form of government can be brought once every 2 years. But S3157 would extend that period of prohibition to 10 years in each case.

Bill S3157 has more far-reaching consequences, however. This is the first step the NJ legislature has taken, since broadening citizens' rights to self govern in 1982 when it passed the I&R law, to curtail those rights. Bill S3157 represents the first step in taking away citizens' rights of self governance and self determination. Everyone living in a Faulkner Act municipality will be impacted by this change in the law.

Please contact Governor Corzine today and urge him not to strip citizens of our right to self-empowerment: DO NOT SIGN bill S3157.

Sincerely,

Diana H. Jeffrey, Esq.
Director, Government Accountability Programs
New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center