On Thursday, New Jersey became the fifth state to sign into law a bill that would ban the outsourcing of government contracts to foreign governments. The law says that only American citizens authorized to work in the United States can work under a New Jersey state contract. The bill was signed into law by Governor Richard Codey who called it "an important step to protect workers and keep jobs from going overseas." The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce has criticized the new law, suggesting it may discourage multinational corporations from operating in the Garden State. Maryland, Oklahoma, Montana and Washington are all considering or are in the process of passing similar bills.