newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Gov. Chris Christie, continuing a 35-year-old New Jersey tradition, receives an annual "allowance" of $95,000 a year to make sure he has enough cash to pay for official receptions in the state and other expenses.

The $95,000 expense account is added to the $175,000 a year salary that Christie gets as governor. And according to the Trentonian, there is no law, rule or requirement to make the payouts public.

Questions arose about Christie's traveling expense records last year after a Justice Department audit called him out for excessive spending habits in the final two years of his term as the U.S. attorney for New Jersey. The audit, released in November, stated that nearly two-thirds of Christie's overnight hotel stays exceeded, without justification, the government rates for lodging.

According to the Courier Post, in 2010, out-of-state travel expenses for Christie and his staff members — including travel, lodging and meals — totaled roughly $44,155.

The authorization for the expense account authorization is listed in the Chief Executive portion of the budget with the following description:

“Allowance to the Governor of funds not otherwise appropriated, for official reception on behalf of the state, operation of an official residence and other expenses.”

According to njfaq.com, no accounting of the expenses is required. The Governor and family receives security and transportation from the State Police.

The expense account was first created for Governor Brendan Byrne in the mid-70s and has been renewed automatically every year since. The amount was boosted from $75,000 to $95,000 a year for Governor Christine Whitman 12 years ago.

The expense account of the governor is the only line item in the entire budget that is not public.