Christie Curbs Scrutiny of Halfway Houses - NYTimes.com: "Gov. Chris Christie on Friday curbed an effort by the New Jersey Legislature to improve oversight of the state’s system of large, privately run halfway houses.
Mr. Christie, a Republican who has close ties to a company that is the dominant operator of halfway houses in the state, used a line-item veto to reduce new disclosure requirements about halfway houses that the Democratic-controlled Legislature inserted in the state budget approved this week...
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In a message to the Legislature, the governor said he issued the vetoes because the reporting requirements were burdensome and threatened the security of the facilities.
“The administration recognizes the critical importance of maintaining client safety as well as accountability for the efficient expenditure of state dollars,” the message said, adding, “The administration has retained robust reporting requirements.”
In response to articles in The New York Times that detailed widespread violence, gang activity, drug use and escapes plaguing the halfway houses, Mr. Christie ordered the Corrections Department last week to step up their inspections and the Legislature sought to increase their scrutiny.
After the governor’s vetoes, Democratic lawmakers on Friday denounced him, saying he was trying to protect Community Education Centers, the dominant halfway house operator, which has long had connections to prominent politicians of both parties.
A close friend and political adviser of Mr. Christie’s, William J. Palatucci, is a senior vice president at the company. Mr. Christie was registered as a lobbyist for the company in 2000 and 2001, when he was a private lawyer, and in recent years he has repeatedly visited and praised the company’s facilities.
Community Education received roughly $71 million of the $105 million that was spent on halfway houses in New Jersey in the fiscal year ending last June 30..."
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