SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3157

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 26, 2023

      The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3157.

      This bill adds language to current law governing the licensure of respiratory therapists that allows the passage of the Certified Respiratory Therapist examination, offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (“NBRC”) or any successor organization, to qualify an individual for licensure by the State Board of Respiratory Care. Presently, the law only recognizes passage of the Registered Respiratory Therapist Examination offered by the NBRC to qualify for licensure. Forty-seven other states recognize the passage of the Certified Respiratory Therapist examination as qualifying applicants for licensure, so this bill would conform New Jersey’s respiratory therapist requirements to most states in the country. Additionally, widening the options for the examinations an individual can take to qualify as a respiratory therapist will help address shortages in that profession in New Jersey.