CHRISTIE PROPOSES $32.9 BILLION BUDGET

Gov. Chris Christie put out his annual budget message during a speech on Tuesday in front of both houses of the state legislature. The proposal is worth $32.9 billion in state spending for the fiscal year that begins in July. Christie says the proposal does not call for any increases to taxes. The governor also noted that another contribution will be made to the state’s pension fund. Christie also called on lawmakers to continue to address bill’s from his initial toolkit, to help municipalities keep property taxes down. The spending plan also calls for a $40 million Sandy contingency fund for expenses not funded by the federal government towards hurricane related expenses.