New Jersey lawmakers are drawing a line in the political sand. The state's Senate, led by Democrats, passed a bill that requires presidential and vice presidential candidates to release five years of federal tax returns to be permitted to appear on the state's ballot, The Associated Press reported.
President Donald Trump refused to release his income tax documents during the 2016 campaign, claiming he was being audited, according to the AP.
The bill now goes to the state’s Assembly, which is also led by Democrats. If passed there, it will go to Gov. Phil Murphy for his signature. Murphy also is a Democrat.
If the bill is signed, and Trump refuses again to release the documents, he could be banned from the 2020 New Jersey ballot, NorthJersey.com reported.
The bill was passed in 2017 by the legislature, but now-former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, vetoed it, the newspaper reported.
At least 30 other states have introduced similar bills, but none have passed, NewJersey.com reported.
It has been tradition, but not legally required for presidential candidates to release their tax returns, according to NewJersey.com.
Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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