PENNINGTON, NJ – During a press conference held at a grocery store in Pennington, New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie this week vetoed a measure that sought to increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021.

“This bill would make New Jersey only the third state in the nation to adopt a minimum wage of $15, and it would trigger an escalation of wages that will make doing business in New Jersey unaffordable,” said Christie.

The governor said that he spoke with small business owners in the state, including a convenience store operator, who conveyed that the minimum wage increase would nearly double the payroll from $380,000 to $680,000.

Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto countered Christie’s veto, saying he would pursue a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage, writes the Wall Street Journal. The news source notes that proposals to amend New Jersey’s constitution, if approved by the Legislature, bypass the governor and go directly to the voters in the form of a ballot referendum. 

“A substantial minimum-wage increase will help lift countless families out of poverty, decrease government dependency and boost commerce by pumping more dollars back into the economy,” said Prieto in a written statement.