Chris Christie vetoes bills proposed to help Atlantic City casino industry

Mr. Christie, a Republican running for president, described the vetoes as prudent. In veto messages, the governor argued the five Atlantic City bills didn’t require government officials to tighten their budget belts.

“Many of the city’s key stakeholders have failed to embrace the concepts of fiscal restraint and strong leadership, and instead have settled on a course toward self-preservation and vacillation,” Mr. Christie wrote.

Senate President Steve Sweeney, a Democrat, initially criticized the governor for vetoing the Atlantic City package but later issued a joint statement with Mr. Christie saying they had agreed to sit down together to “unlock Atlantic City’s vast potential and ensure prosperity.”

Late Monday, legislators said they hoped to come to some kind of compromise on the Atlantic City bills by the end of the year.

Atlantic City’s mayor, Don Guardian, a Republican, introduced a budget this year with $30 million in cuts and had pleaded with Mr. Christie to sign the bills. The mayor, who took office last year, will “reserve comment” until he reviews the vetoes, a spokesman said.

Dozens of bills have lingered on Mr. Christie’s desk since June. Monday was the deadline for the governor to take action. Mr. Christie signed 39 into law and vetoed 24 others.

The bills Mr. Christie signed included a measure that prohibits any action by New Jersey’s education commission to withhold state aid from school districts that had a high number of students who didn’t take standardized exams.

Mr. Christie also signed bills that make bestiality a crime and ban the sale of powdered alcohol in New Jersey.State and national Democrats criticized the governor for vetoing bills aimed at expanding voting statewide and enhancing gun-control laws.

Mr. Christie vetoed legislation, supported by civil rights groups as well as Democrats, that would have allowed for early voting in New Jersey, online-voter registration and automatic enrollment at motor vehicle offices.

Mr. Christie said the recommended voting changes would be too cumbersome, costly and could lead to fraud. “New Jersey taxpayers deserve better than to have their hard-earned tax dollars spent on thinly veiled political gamesmanship,” Mr. Christie wrote in his veto message.

State Democrats signaled Monday that they would try to pass the voting measure with a voter referendum next year, and national party leaders painted Mr. Christie’s veto as emblematic of Republican efforts to restrict voter rolls nationwide. Some of the GOP presidential candidates have expressed concern that state voting rules are too loose.

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat, said: “Unfortunately, this is another example of a decision by this governor shaped by his national aspirations.” Aides to Mr. Christie didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Lawmakers in both parties have sought to help Atlantic City since four casinos have closed in the seaside resort since January 2014.

The bills passed in June would have allowed casinos to suspend an estimated $210 million in property-tax payments and instead pay the city, county and local school district a portion of what was owed.

The payments would have totaled as much as $150 million this year, and would be levied based on gambling revenue in future years.

A number of casinos have challenged their property-tax bills in court, arguing they don’t reflect their current financial pictures as gambling revenues have diminished.

“These bills are vital to establishing a viable path forward out of the city’s financial crisis,” the Casino Association of New Jersey said in a statement Monday. “We implore the necessary parties to quickly convene.”

Mr. Christie also vetoed a measure to enhance state protections that keep firearms out of the hands of domestic-violence abusers. Mr. Christie said the legislation was redundant and sent it back to the Legislature with his own changes, such as curbing how quickly abusers are eligible for parole.