ALBANY (AP) -- New York Gov. David Paterson has vetoed a bill that would limit the rent that welfare recipients with AIDS and the HIV virus could be charged.
The Democratic governor calls it "the hardest veto" he's every issued, but says the state can't afford the $20 million yearly the program would cost.
Advocates say the veto will force more people suffering from AIDS and HIV into homelessness. They say the action also is counterproductive because caring for these people is far more expensive in homeless shelters than in their homes.
But Paterson says the bill just represents the latest admirable cause that can't be funded during the state's continued fiscal crisis.
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