SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3156  

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 18, 2023

      The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3156.

      As amended, this bill requires the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety to review and collect certain information and data on the professions and occupations regulated by the division, or a board, committee or other entity within the division, and compile a report on the findings to be released, six months after the bill is enacted, to the Governor and State Legislature. The information and data to be reviewed and collected include 1) the number of outstanding applications each profession and occupation has for initial licensure or other type of credential; 2) the number of incomplete applications received; 3) funding expended to retain employees; 4) categorization, if possible, of the reasons for calls from applicants and how many calls come in under each category; and 5) the calculation of the percentage of completed applications for initial licensure or other credential over the past five years, to include a calculation of the number of applications that have taken at least twice as long to process in comparison to the average time to process an application.

     Additionally, the Attorney General, or a designee, is to 1) develop and administer training specific to a profession and occupation to new employees hired to process initial applications for licensure in the profession or occupation; and 2) review the feasibility of outsourcing phone call intake and response to businesses or associations that assist individuals seeking a license in a specific profession or occupation.

      As amended and reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 3156 is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4621 (1R), which was also reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      1)   clarify that other types of credentials aside from licenses may be issued by an entity and that an applicant may receive a call from an entity regarding an incomplete application;

      2)   require, if possible to calculate, a categorization of the reasons for calls from applicants and how many calls come in under each category; and

      3)   require the calculation of the percentage of completed applications for initial licensure or other credential over the past five years, to include a calculation of the number of applications that have taken at least twice as long to process in comparison to the average time to process an application.