New Jersey Working Families State Director Sue Altman issued the following statement in response to Gov. Murphy’s conditional veto of the Economic Opportunity Act extension legislation:

“We are grateful to Gov. Murphy for recognizing that the six-month extension of the Economic Opportunity Act is a blank check to politically connected corporations to rip off New Jersey taxpayers.

We are stunned that the Legislature willfully ignored the ongoing independent investigation of the program, which has already found that companies made material misstatements on their tax credit applications and other serious allegations.

After Governor Murphy’s veto, the Legislature now has the opportunity to get serious. It is time for lawmakers to sit down with the governor to create a meaningful corporate incentive program that ensures corporations are held accountable while expanding opportunities for underserved communities.

The Economic Opportunity Act of 2013 robbed New Jersey taxpayers of billions of dollars. Any new tax credit program must protect workers, ensure minority and local hiring and ensure vigorous and continued oversight.”

New Jersey Working Families is an independent political organization that fights for progressive policies and recruits, trains, and elects the next generation of progressive champions.