NJBIA and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) have commended Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt for her legislative career as she attends her final voting session. They are also supporting Bill A-4220, which updates a significant 2007 law aimed at enhancing college credit transfer processes and affordability.
The bill, set for a vote in the full Assembly, seeks to revise procedures and establish standards for statewide transfer agreements of academic credit and reverse credit among participating higher education institutions. This initiative builds upon the 2007 "Lampitt Law," which facilitated easier credit transfers from community colleges to four-year institutions.
Assemblywoman Lampitt has represented New Jersey's 6th Legislative District since 2006 and chaired the Assembly Education Committee. She will assume the role of Camden County Clerk in 2025.
"On behalf of New Jersey’s 18 community colleges and our 240,000 students, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges wishes to express our profound gratitude for the impactful legislative career of Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt," said NJCCC President Aaron Fichtner. He noted that Lampitt's leadership significantly improved opportunities for community college students transferring to four-year universities.
Christopher Emigholz, NJBIA Chief Government Affairs Officer, praised Lampitt for sponsoring a law that created the NJBIA Basic Skills Training Program. This program has provided free training at New Jersey Community Colleges to over 200,000 workers employed by more than 12,000 employers since its inception in 2007.
"From the original Lampitt Law to the Basic Skills Training Program that has provided literacy training to thousands of workers to her other work as an education policy leader, Assemblywoman Lampitt leaves a lasting legacy of partnering with the business and education communities to improve our workforce that is unrivaled in the New Jersey Legislature," Emigholz stated. "NJBIA and I are proud to have been part of that."
Current legislation requires higher education institutions, both public and independent, to create a collective statewide reverse transfer agreement for awarding associate degrees by county colleges. Bill A-4220 details provisions necessary for these agreements and authorizes their establishment by the New Jersey Presidents’ Council with input from a New Jersey Transfer Ombudsman.
The statewide transfer agreement must be reviewed every five years by the Secretary of Higher Education. Independent institutions may choose to participate in statewide reverse transfer agreements.
"The more we can ensure that credit hours earned at any of our high-quality community colleges can count towards a degree at our fine four-year institutions, the better," said NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Althea D. Ford. "We thank Assemblywoman Lampitt for the updates in this legislation as it cements the Chairwoman’s legacy to bring valuable post-secondary educational opportunities within reach for more students."
Maria Heidkamp, NJCCC Chief Innovation and Policy Officer, highlighted that due to the Lampitt Law, over 91% of students completing an associate degree had all credits accepted by four-year public institutions—a significant increase from pre-2007 figures.
"This results in cost savings for students and putting them on a path to academic and career success," Heidkamp explained. "New Jersey has also been recognized nationally as a leader in helping students with financial aid when they begin at community colleges and eventually earn a bachelor’s degree. This is another impact of Assemblywoman Lampitt’s important contribution to New Jersey’s higher education landscape."
