Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32) called the vetoes made by NJ Governor Chris Christie and NY Governor Andrew Cuomo on Port Authority reform bills “terribly disappointing news” in a  statement he released yesterday.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“These vetoes are terribly disappointing news for the people of New Jersey and New York, especially the commuters who get stung by toll hike after toll hike by this out-of-control agency. They rightly expected more from the governors after the revelations at the Port Authority over the last year,” Prieto wrote on Facebook.
The governors vetoed the reforms approved by both NJ and NY legislatures, which would’ve forced the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to embrace serious financial, ethical and administrative reforms (h/t The New York Times).
“These bipartisan bills were very basic common sense reforms that should have been signed and become stepping stones to further change. Consider that they unanimously passed four legislative houses in two states. That was remarkable cooperation and agreement that has now needlessly and inexplicably been tossed away,” Prieto continued.
“The bottom line is these bills needed to be signed. The Assembly stands ready to consider all its options on these bills and will be communicating with all the sponsors in both states as to the next step.”
In a joint statement, Christie and Cuomo outlined what changes they will advocate for instead, which includes appointing a single person to run the bi-state agency and creating a position for a “chief ethics and compliance officer.”
The vetoes comes at a time where the Bridgegate scandal – which revolves around whether or not Christie had the George Washington Bridge closed by his political allies last year – may be coming to a head, as federal prosecutors are heavily rumored to be dropping indictments early next year, per NBC New York.