Despite significant political pressure to sign “Made in America” legislation, Governor Chris Christie (R) vetoed the onerous bill which would have vastly expanded New Jersey’s existing law enacted during the Great Depression requiring state public works projects to source products manufactured in the U.S. whenever practical. The vetoed bill, S. 1811, would have limited the ability of state agencies and public institutions of higher education to purchase imported technology goods, from vendors receiving contracts and limiting a contractor’s ability to provide quality information and communications technology goods at the lowest cost.
In his veto message, Governor Christie cited the threat to job creation by international companies in the state and increased cost at the expense of New Jersey taxpayers as reasons for his rejection of the bill. The Governor also highlighted that “the bidding process will become more complex and reporting requirements will become more burdensome,” a point made by TechAmerica and allied stakeholders in communications with the Legislature and the Governor’s office.
For more information, please contact Kevin Callahan at kevin.callahan@techamerica.org or Russ Guarna at russ.guarna@techamerica.org.
