Christie Joins Deal to Save Anti-Bullying Law [Poll]

In its latest incarnation but one, New Jersey's anti-bullying law -- one of the toughest in the nation -- was going to be part of the state's constitutional responsibility to provide a "thorough and efficient" education.

But state Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) said that the phrase would not appear after all in the final version of the legislation, part of a political compromise that kept the law on the books and netted $1 million to help defray implementation costs at individual schools.

Also part of the package is a task force that will continue to review the law and its impact.

Huttle, the law's sponsor in the lower house, joined Gov. Chris Christie and other legislators in the governor's outer office to formally announce the agreement.

The story behind that deal is a circuitous one.

Essentially, the anti-bullying measure was slated to be struck from the statute within the month, following the January decision by the state's Council on Local Mandates that ruled the law to be an unfunded mandate.

That decision stems from the fact that while the law spells out a series of specific procedures for investigations, staffing and training in every school, it is conspicuously silent on how these requirements would be paid for.

Facing a complaint from a tiny Warren County district and rising concerns from many others, the quasi-judicial mandates council agreed that the state had not funded the law, as required by the state constitution. 60 days after the ruling, March 27.

At this point Huttle, other legislators, and advocates spent several weeks crafting a compromise, one that would address the requirements of the council and keep the law in place.

Included would be new money, as well as the task force. And notably, when Huttle filed the bill proposal with the state's Office of Legislative Services on Monday, a lengthy preamble stated that the prevention of bullying and intimidation is a "substantive component of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools."

Yesterday, Huttle said the phrase would be removed when the bill is officially filed today.

Christie agreed he did not want to see the law expire. "The law becoming invalidated was just unacceptable to me," he said.

So $1 million would come out of general funds for a Bullying Prevention Fund to be made available to districts this year through a grant process. He would also back the task force to look at other potential changes and additional funding next year.

"We know that students have the best opportunity to learn when they are in an environment free of bullying and intimidation," he said.

Read more at NJSpotlight.com