Senate Commerce Committee Statement to Senate, No. 3051 — State of New Jersey (October 10, 2024)

Summary

A Senate Commerce Committee statement to the Senate on Senate Bill No. 3051, State of New Jersey, dated October 10, 2024, reporting the bill favorably with committee amendments. As amended, the bill requires the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety to hire additional staff to reduce the professional license application backlog, appropriating $10,000,000 in fiscal years 2026, 2027, and 2028. The statement says that since fiscal year 2016 appropriations acts have allowed transfers of funds from the professional boards, which may have reduced the boards' flexibility to hire staff. The division must report annually on the spending and its effect on staffing and license processing.

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SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No.
3051

with
committee amendments

STATE
OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: OCTOBER
10, 2024

The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably and
with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3051.

As amended, this bill requires the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of
Law and Public Safety to hire additional staff to alleviate the professional
license application backlog. The bill appropriates $10,000,000 in fiscal years
2026, 2027, and 2028 for the hiring of additional staff.

The
various state professional boards are responsible for both the processing of
initial license requests and the periodic licensure renewals as required by
statute. There is currently a significant backlog of these license requests in
several of the regulated professions within the Division of Consumer Affairs.

Starting
in fiscal year 2016, language has been included in the annual appropriations
act allowing the transfer of funds from the professional boards to other
organizations within the Department of Law and Public Safety. These transfers
may have taken away flexibility the boards would have to hire additional staff
to address backlogs. This bill appropriates $10,000,000 in each of the cited
three fiscal years to allow for both the immediate hiring of additional staff
to alleviate the current backlog as well as to ensure ongoing funding to
maintain proper levels of service for license processing across the regulated
professions.

The
bill also requires the division to provide an annual report that provides
details on the spending authorized by the bill, and the effect of the spending
on division staffing and the processing of license applications and renewals.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS :

The committee amended the bill to update the fiscal
years to receive the appropriation.

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