Just months after reports of racial discrimination in Sandy aid distribution, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would empower survivors and increase transparency of the process. 

Earlier this year, civil rights groups, including the NAACP New Jersey State Conference and the Latino Action Network, released a report that revealed inequalities in the distributing of Hurricane Sandy aid. Black and Latino residents were more frequently rejected than white residents whose homes were affected by the massive storm. 

The data was obtained through litigation by advocacy organization Fair Share Housing Center under the Open Public Records Act. This week, Christie rejected an attempt to make that information more transparent and empower victims to take action against discrimination.

If it had passed, the "Sandy Bill of Rights" would ensure that survivors knew their aid status and why they were given that status, with more rights to appeal rejections. Christie vetoed the bill on Monday, under the condition that the bill adopt his nine pages of amendments that included dropping the online aid status system and a mandatory report on aid applicants demographics, by race and ethnicity. 

Even though the bill passed with bipartisan support, the New Jersey Senate does not yet have the number of legislators needed to override Christie's veto and resurrect the bill.