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“We’ve heard quite a bit from Gov. Christie about his commitment to higher education, yet today he pulled the rug out from under higher ed.

“Gov. Christie’s budget contains not just cuts to institutions of higher education, but global cuts to programs – like tuition aid grants and the Educational Opportunity Fund – that hit all sectors, putting the financial burden directly on middle class families and removing the prospect of a college education for thousands of New Jersey students.

“These cuts also show that the governor does not see our institutions of higher education as the vital economic engines they are. These cuts will likely force staffing cuts across the board and will limit our colleges and universities’ ability to attract and produce the top-notch professionals businesses in the state and across the region have come to expect.

"Gov. Christie needs to rethink this plan and do what he promised and invest in higher education."

Assemblyman Lou Greenwald and Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt are proud to announce that NJ SHARES now has a new assistance program for New Jersey American Water (NJAW) clients. By coming into their legislative office, their staff can help any NJAW client who meets the eligibility criteria apply for one of the programs available.

The first program is H2O to Help Others Program which is designed to help clients with a one-time grant applied to their NJAW bill. Clients who qualify for the H2O Help to Others Program must have incomes at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Level. The second program is Low Income Payment Program (LIPP) which takes the H2O Help to Others Program one step further by providing a continued discounted rate on the water service for clients with incomes at or below 175% of Federal Poverty Level.

To find out more information or schedule an appointment to apply for assistance, Assemblyman Greenwald and Assemblywoman Lampitt's legislative office at 856-435-1247.

Courier Post
Editorial
February 11, 2010

Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Winslow has had many problems over the years with violence, escapes and other incidents. A number of things have factored into the problems, including Ancora staffers who just didn't do their job.

Late last month, a new state law sponsored by local Assembly members Louis Greenwald and Pamela Lampitt, both D-Camden, went into effect that should help things at Ancora by making sure staffers there are sober and fit to do their jobs.

The law -- written in response to some of the problems at Ancora that investigations showed were due to staff failings -- requires random drug testing among employees at all state psychiatric hospitals and veterans' homes. Supervisors at these facilities now have the power to order a drug test for any employee who shows signs of being drunk or high. And, all candidates for employment at a state veterans' home or psychiatric hospital will have to pass a drug test to get the job.

This is a needed measure that should work to weed out those workers at Ancora who simply can't be entrusted to work with patients who pose a danger to themselves and to others.

Ancora needs many reforms. This is one of them we're glad to see approved. It could quickly have an impact.

Courier Post
Jane Roh
February 8, 2010

VOORHEES — High unemployment and economic uncertainty have swelled the rolls of New Jersey's public universities and community colleges. Yet many administrators are hamstrung by slashed funding, rising costs, and an inability to hire more faculty.

Call it the recession-education paradox.

Gov. Chris Christie's transition report on higher education criticized the exodus of college-bound students out of state and a funding formula that
places state schools in debt.

But with a deficit forecast in the billions, Christie has warned that it will be difficult for Trenton to address these shortcomings immediately. Many school administrators anticipate aid cuts.

Last month, Christie said the state "will have to make better use of the resources showered on education." He has also pledged to increase funding for higher education during his first term, if not his first year.

The economic climate doesn't necessarily preclude leaving public college and university students out in the cold, lawmakers said. Assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt, D-Camden, chairwoman of the Assembly's Higher Education Committee, hopes to help the state's universities and colleges navigate a
difficult budget.

"I'm going to the colleges and looking at opportunities where they can make budget cuts," Lampitt said. "There are some things that strapped them, such as bonding and funding. These have increased their debt service."

Lampitt said she would also try to liberate schools from unfunded mandates.

Star Ledger
Editorial
February 6, 2010

Ben Franklin left something out of his list of sure bets: Teenagers will do stupid things. And when they do, it’s up to adults to determine — and apply — the proper punishment.

The latest dimwitted teen pastime is sexting — the sending or posting of sexually explicit text messages, photographs or videos via cell phones or over the internet.

Here’s how it usually works: A teenaged girl — trying to impress a boy or giving in to his pleas — uses her cell phone to take a nude photo of herself and send it to him. The teenaged boy, creep that he is, forwards the photo to his friends, who pass it on to their buddies. Within minutes, nearly every kid in the school — or in town — has a copy. The girl is mortified. Sometimes, the authorities get involved.

It’s no surprise that technology has moved faster than legislators, and because there isn’t a law that specifically applies to sexting, prosecutors have tried to stop the spread of the humiliating photos by applying child pornography laws — to the teens originally taking and sending the photos and to others who pass them on.

This is a silly and misguided application of the law, and a case being heard in Philadelphia rightfully challenges the use of child pornography laws in these instances.