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New Jersey Senate approves bill that could keep Trump off state’s 2020 ballot

The Democrat-controlled New Jersey Senate approved a bill that would keep presidential candidates off the state’s 2020 ballot unless they release their tax returns.

The bill — which was passed Thursday in a 23-11 vote largely along party lines — needs the approval of an Assembly committee and the full Legislature before it can head to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy for a final OK or a veto, according to the Courier Post.

Breaking from decades of tradition, President Trump refused to publicly release his tax returns during the 2016 campaign, saying he was withholding them because he was undergoing an audit.

The New Jersey Legislature passed a similar bill in 2017, but the measure was blocked by a veto from Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who called it a “transparent political stunt.”





The measure would keep any candidate for president and vice president off the state ballot if they do not publicly release five of their most recent tax returns at least 50 days before the 2020 general election.

If passed, the bill also would bar the state’s electors from voting for non-compliant candidates as part of the Electoral College process after a general election.

GOP state Sen. Joe Pennacchio said in a statement to the Courier Post that the bill should be amended to also apply to gubernatorial, state Senate and Assembly candidates.

“What’s good for the goose is what’s good for the gander,” he said. “If this really is about making sure voters are well-informed, then common sense dictates that [the bill] should apply to all of us.”





State Democrats blocked Pennacchio’s amendments.

At least 30 states have introduced similar legislation that has never been enacted, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.





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