Published February 16, 2016
By Russ Zimmer

The $10 million from fees on paint sales is meant to limit childhood lead exposure in New Jersey, but once again that money gets diverted elsewhere in the budget.

For the second time in a month, Gov. Chris Christie has declined to restore the money raided from a fund that helps protect children from lead poisoning. .

There was no mention of money for lead exposure prevention in the governor's budget speech or in the 89-page budget summary released by his office. This is despite the spotlight on lead poisoning cast by the water crisis in Flint, Mich. and the pleadings of advocates here in New Jersey.

“It’s not just a policy decision that is unfortunate on paper. These are children who have done nothing wrong and deserve to have the support and resources to make sure they don’t have disabilities for the rest of their lives," said Staci Berger, president and CEO of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. "I don’t really have words.”

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In January, Christie allowed a bill to expire that would have replenished the $10 million that politicians have continually pillaged from the Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund. The pocket veto of S1279 was not explained by the governor and his office did not immediately comment on lead funding Tuesday afternoon.

New Jersey spends nearly $7 million annually to inspect multi-family housing for lead-based paint hazards, an expenditure that covers 200,000 housing units every year, according to a spokesman for the New Jersey Treasury Department.

Last year, the Asbury Park Press revealed that state lawmakers had — for more than a decade — been raiding a fund meant to protect children from lead poisoning in order to help prop up the state budget. Poisoning often comes from exposure to lead-based paint chips.

Lead damages the brain and can lead to a lifetime of learning and behavioral problems. Advocates argue that lead poisoning is completely preventable and that a relatively small investment can help avoid the much higher costs that society bears later on.

The Legislature responded to the Press investigation with a bipartisan-backed bill that passed 29-6 in the Senate and 48-20 in the Assembly before dying on Christie's desk.

Lead protection advocates held out hope that Christie's veto was a principled one.

The governor had previously stated his distaste for supplemental appropriations, preferring that all spending decisions go through the annual budget process. That was snuffed out with the budget presentation on Tuesday afternoon.

While the Press series on lead turned heads, the ongoing news out of Flint, Mich., has got them spinning. Government officials are still trying to piece together how things went tragically wrong in Flint, where the city's water system became rife with dangerous levels of lead after a problematic switch in the municipal water supply.

Berger said leaders in the Legislature have made "fairly strong commitments" to include the lead funding in the budget they present to Christie, but that not having the governor's support means advocates will have to persuade the administration to keep it in the final version.

"It’s going to be a fight," she said.

Staff writer Michael Symons contributed to this report.

Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, [email protected]