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Sell Ad Space at Toll Plazas

Courier Post
Editorial
June 11, 2010

The state should be eager to raise money for road projects without hiking tolls or taxes.

The state's transportation trust fund is nearly empty. Lawmakers in Trenton saw this coming for years and have long debated whether to raise the state gasoline tax. We have the third-lowest gasoline tax in the nation here -- a most unusual circumstance in a state where virtually every other tax ranks among the highest in the nation.

Because all our other taxes are so inflated, state legislators have, rightly, been afraid to raise the gasoline tax and shake more money out of New Jerseyans' pockets.

But the transportation trust fund, which provides money for major road repair and renovation projects, still desperately needs an infusion of cash. There are dozens of major roadwork projects on the drawing boards that have waited years for state funding.

Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt, D-Camden, and Assemblyman Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, have a common sense proposal for how to generate some cash for these projects without raising any taxes or tolls -- put ads at the toll plazas on our highways.

NJ101.5
by David Matthau

Jersey colleges and universities could soon be forced to develop emergency communication systems - so everyone on campus can be alerted if there's a bomb threat, a crazed gunman on the loose, or some other dangerous situation.

Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt says after the Virginia Tech shooting rampage - where 32 people were killed - we need to have "a comprehensive system in place, and ensure that our universities are standardizing these types of securities and efficiencies."

Her legislation calls for "each one of our college campuses to develop a comprehensive safety, security, emergency management system - and have it documented and submitted to Homeland Security…it doesn't benefit the university to have a system in place, and not share it with the proper outside authorities, because at some time, you're going to need that outside additional support."

She adds "many kids are coming to our colleges with mental health issues, and we don't have the ability to pre-screen- it's all based on self-disclosure, and at any point in time, somebody can crack, and somebody can go off the deep end, and do something that's really erratic…we have to remember that our colleges and universities are responsible for livelihoods - they're responsible for young people who might not know, and depend upon the administration of a university or school to ensure their safety."

Gloucester County Times
Editorial
April 21, 2010

It was good to hear Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-4, speak up Monday for graduating high school seniors held in limbo by pending cuts to NJ STARS, the popular program that lets top students attend community colleges tuition-free.

NJ STARS, which stands for Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship, needs a stable, long-term source of funding if it is to continue much longer, given New Jersey's financial condition. But Gov. Chris Christie's proposed state budget eliminates all funding for the next class of STARS candidates, who are slated to enter Gloucester County College and similar institutions this fall.

"The governor pulling the plug on NJ STARS after students have already been accepted is cruel, outrageous and unwarranted," the assemblyman said.

It may not constitute cruelty, but it's awfully unfair. It's getting too late for these accepted students to make other higher-education arrangements, or to come up with tuition funds that they did not expect to have to pay.

Moriarty's comments came on the heels of Assembly Budget Committee remarks from Glassboro High School senior Joe Zuchowicz. The assemblyman asked the STARS recipient to testify about his plight, and that of an estimated 300 students in Gloucester County slated to begin STARS-funded college this fall.

By Angela Delli Santi
Associated Press
April 14, 2010

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Proposed state aid cuts to higher education would result in tuition increases, bigger classes and fewer scholarships, according to nine public college presidents who decried the cuts at a legislative hearing on Wednesday.

Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget proposes cutting $173 million in aid for the fiscal year beginning July 1, on top of a midyear cut this year.

The governor has proposed sweeping cuts in school and municipal aid, as well as higher education, to close a multibillion dollar budget gap.

Even without the latest cuts, the Garden State ranked 47th among the states in higher education appropriations, according to the Association of State Colleges and Universities.

"This is a sorry story for a wealthy state like New Jersey to let its colleges and universities fall into decrepitude, with consequences for the next generation of students as well as our economy," said Rutgers University President Richard McCormick, one of the nine who testified before the Assembly Budget Committee.

McCormick said all college presidents would try to keep their campuses intact no matter the budget. But, he said, practical implications of the budget cuts include less faculty research and delays in graduation because students will have longer waits to get all the courses they need.

"As we approach the next cut, I don't believe we can leave the academic side untouched," said R. Barbara Gitenstein, president of The College of New Jersey in Ewing.

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.