Russ Zimmer

@RussZimmer

Gov. Chris Christie's administration pushed back Wednesday against criticism that the state had abandoned a fund meant to protect children from lead poisoning.

Advocates for health and housing were disappointed that the Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund was once again shortchanged in the governor's budget speech or in the 89-page budget summary released by his office Tuesday afternoon.

But state officials see it differently.

New Jersey is "out ahead of the majority of states" in inspecting apartments for lead-paint hazards, according to state Treasury Department spokesman Christopher Santarelli.

The state spends $7 million annually to inspect about 200,000 housing units every year, he said.

New Jersey also secured a $5.4 million federal grant to screen more than 14,000 people for lead poisoning in areas affected by superstorm Sandy.

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However, the lead hazard fund, which supports a loan and grant program to remove lead paint from homes and rental units, is in line for just $180,000 next year. That's less than 2 percent of what the fund is supposed to receive every year from sales taxes on paint.

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The spotlight on lead poisoning cast by the water crisis in Flint, Mich. and the pleadings of activists here in New Jersey failed to persuade the administration to improve the current funding level.

“It’s not just a policy decision that is unfortunate on paper. These are children who have done nothing wrong and deserve to have the support and resources to make sure they don’t have disabilities for the rest of their lives," said Staci Berger, president and CEO of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. "I don’t really have words.”

In January, Christie allowed a bill to expire that would have replenished the $10 million that politicians have continually pillaged from the lead hazard fund to support other state spending. The pocket veto of S1279 was not explained by the governor.

MORE: Christie kills childhood lead protection bill

Last year, the Asbury Park Press revealed that state lawmakers had — for more than a decade — been raiding the fund meant to protect children from lead poisoning in order to help prop up the state budget. Poisoning often comes from exposure to lead-based paint chips and dust.

Lead damages the brain and can lead to a lifetime of learning and behavioral problems. Advocates argue that lead poisoning is completely preventable and that a relatively small investment can help avoid the much higher costs that society bears later on.

The Legislature responded to the Press investigation with a bipartisan-backed bill that passed 29-6 in the Senate and 48-20 in the Assembly before dying on Christie's desk.

Lead protection advocates held out hope that Christie's veto was a principled one.

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The governor had previously stated his distaste for supplemental appropriations, preferring that all spending decisions go through the annual budget process. That was snuffed out with the budget presentation on Tuesday afternoon.

While the Press series on lead turned heads, the ongoing news out of Flint, Mich., has got them spinning. Government officials are still trying to piece together how things went tragically wrong in Flint, where the city's water system became rife with dangerous levels of lead after a problematic switch in the municipal water supply.

MORE: Kids in 11 N.J. cities have higher lead levels than Flint

Berger said leaders in the Legislature have made "fairly strong commitments" to include the lead funding in the budget they present to Christie, but that not having the governor's support means advocates will have to persuade the administration to keep it in the final version.

"It’s going to be a fight," she said.

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Staff writer Michael Symons contributed to this report.

Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com