TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy today vetoed a bill that could have helped many military veterans and active duty servicemembers navigate their way through complex legal problems.
Bill 1388 would have established a pro bono legal representation program to provide legal representation to active-duty service members and veterans of the military in various areas of civil law, including employment law, estate planning, and family law.
Murphy said the state doesn’t have enough resources to provide the service.
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“Military service members often face civil legal issues that create various obstacles to their health and financial stability,” Murphy said. “I fully support ensuring service members are aware of available resources and can readily access them, including legal representation, especially in times of need. I commend the bill’s sponsors for recognizing that our service members should be able to obtain representation from experienced attorneys in a variety of areas of law on a pro bono basis.”
Murphy, who just came under fire for squandering federal COVID-19 relief funds on a new convoy of gas-guzzling Chevy Suburbans for him and his staff, said he couldn’t find a way to fund legal services for those who have fought for our country.
“I am concerned that the bill as currently drafted cannot be implemented effectively,” Murphy said, “DMAVA does not have the capacity to identify attorneys in different areas of the law, as that is not within the Department’s area of expertise. The Department does, though, have the ability to provide information relating to the broad range of pro bono legal services already in existence that are available to assist active-duty service members and veterans.”
Instead, Murphy, who has provided a plethora of free service and assistance programs to other protected classes over the years says veterans will just have to seek help elsewhere. He suggests the state’s capacity ends at recommending veterans to other services available to them to solve their legal troubles.