ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

ASSEMBLY, No. 4220

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  OCTOBER 24, 2024

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 4220 (1R) ACS.

      This bill revises the Statewide transfer agreements for the transfer of academic credit and reverse credit at public institutions of higher education and establishes the position of New Jersey Transfer Ombudsperson within the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.

      Under current law, each public institution of higher education is required to establish and enter into a collective Statewide transfer agreement that provides for the seamless transfer of academic credits across public institutions of higher education.  Similarly, current law requires institutions of higher education, both public and independent, to establish and enter into a collective Statewide reverse transfer agreement for the awarding of associate degrees by the county colleges.  Under current law, the Statewide transfer agreement is established by public institutions of higher education, in consultation with the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and the New Jersey Presidents’ Council, and the Statewide reverse transfer agreement is established by public institutions of higher education, in consultation with the Secretary of Higher Education and the New Jersey Presidents’ Council.

      This bill modifies both the collective Statewide transfer agreement and the collective Statewide reverse transfer agreement and requires each public institution of higher education to enter into the modified agreements. Under the bill, the agreements are to be developed by the New Jersey Presidents’ Council, in consultation with the New Jersey Transfer Ombudsperson established by the bill. Under the bill, the Statewide transfer agreement is to be approved by the Secretary of Higher Education.

      The bill establishes the position of the New Jersey Transfer Ombudsperson within the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. The purpose of the ombudsperson is to facilitate the resolution of disputes between students and public institutions of higher education regarding the institution’s compliance with the Statewide credit transfer agreement. Under the bill, the ombudsperson is to be responsible for:

      (1)  overseeing and assessing the compliance of public institutions of higher education with the provisions of the bill and current law;

      (2)  final administrative decisions over disputes between students and public institutions of higher education regarding the transfer of academic credits only after every reasonable effort has been exhausted by the student and the institution to resolve the dispute. In making a final administrative decision, the ombudsperson is to give appropriate consideration to any potential negative affect of a decision on the programmatic accreditation of the institution; provided, however, that the institution is afforded the opportunity to specifically demonstrate in each case the potential negative effect of a decision not in favor of the institution on the programmatic accreditation held by the institution;

      (3)  the periodic review, occurring not less than once every five years, of the Statewide credit transfer agreement to ensure compliance with the applicable provisions of law. The review is to take into account, as appropriate, final administrative decisions made by the ombudsperson; and

      (4)  preparation of the annual credit transfer report.

      The bill also requires each public institution of higher education to provide transfer students with data on program outcomes of students who have transferred from other public institutions of higher education in the State, including completion rates. 

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates that this bill would result in an annual State expenditure increase of up to $300,000 for the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.  The increase in costs is associated with the employment of a New Jersey Transfer Ombudsperson.  The OLS bases its estimate on publicly available salary and benefits information. 

      The OLS notes that there may be additional costs incurred by public institutions of higher education associated with the collection of data, to the extent that the required data is not already collected and existing staff and resources are not sufficient to collect the required data.  The OLS anticipates that any increased costs resulting from increased data collection would be marginal.