July 13, 2017

SENETE BILL NO. 587

To the Senate:

Pursuant to Article V, Section I, Paragraph 14 of the New
Jersey Constitution, I am returning Senate Bill No. 587 without
my approval.

In contravention of decadeswold Census Bureau guidance,
this bill would change the way that prisoners incarcerated in
State prisons and in federal prisons within the State are
counted for purposes of legislative redistricting in New Jersey.
Rather than being counted in the district where they are
incarcerated, prisoners would be counted either in the district
of their last known address in the State, if known, or not at
all if their last known address is unknown or outside the State.
The Secretary of State would perform these reclassifications, in
advance of the redistricting process, based on the residential
addresses that prisoners would furnish to the Department of
Corrections and equivalent federal agency when they report to
prison.

Counting prisoners where they resided at one point in the
past, instead of where they live and sleep presently, runs
counter to how the federal Census Bureau and the Hmjority of
states allocate prisoners in the population. It also makes
little sense insofar' as prisoners are consuming' services and
resources at the prison and may have only fleeting, dated, or
tenuous ties to their prior residence.

This bill smacks of political opportunism, as evidenced by
the party?line votes by which it passed both houses of the
Legislature. Despite the alleged social justice benefits of the
bill touted by its supporters, I am not persuaded to enact such
a marked deviation. from the Census Bureau?s clear and longe

standing guidance on this issue.

Accordingly, I am returning Senate Bill No. 587 without

approval.
Respectfully,
[seal] fs/ Chris Christie
Governor
Attest:

Robert L. Garrenger

Acting Chief Counsel to the Governor

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