Senate Commerce Committee Statement to Senate, No. 818 — State of New Jersey (February 12, 2026)

Summary

The Senate Commerce Committee of the State of New Jersey, in a statement dated February 12, 2026, reports favorably Senate Bill No. 818. The 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, appropriating $10,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2027, 2028 and 2029. The statement says that since fiscal year 2016 the annual appropriations act has 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.
818

STATE
OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: FEBRUARY
12, 2026

The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably Senate
Bill No. 818.

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 2027,
2028, and 2029 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.

This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the
2026-2027 session pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the
changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

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