A1207

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANDREW ZWICKER

District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)

Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER

District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)

Assemblyman JAY WEBBER

District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

Requires professional licensing boards to issue licenses for certain individuals with good standing licenses or certification in other jurisdictions under certain circumstances.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning professional and occupational licenses and supplementing P.L.1978, c.73 (C.45:1-14 et seq.).

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a professional or occupational board designated in section 2 of P.L.1978, c.73 (C.45:1-15) that issues a professional or occupational license, certificate of registration, or certification for which professional training, education, or experience is required, shall issue a license, certificate of registration, or certification to an applicant, for the time the applicant is domiciled in this State, if that applicant possesses a license, certificate of registration, or certification and equivalent training, education, and experience for that profession or occupation obtained in another state, district, or territory of the United States of America, regardless of when the license, certificate of registration, or certification and training, education, or experience was obtained.

b. A professional or occupational board shall issue a license, certificate of registration, or certification to an applicant who presents evidence to the board that:

(1) the applicant’s license, certificate of registration, or certification is in good standing in another jurisdiction; and

(2) the applicant complies with all other requirements for licensure, including but not limited to, any requirement for examination.

c. A professional or occupational board may require an applicant to provide any documentation of the applicant's training, education, or experience, as it deems necessary to determine eligibility.

d. A professional or occupational board shall provide methods of evaluating equivalent training, education, or experience obtained towards meeting the requirements for the issuance of a license, certificate of registration, or certification pursuant to this section, provided that no method of evaluating experience from another jurisdiction shall operate in such a manner as to require the same number of hours of experience by the applicant.

e. As used in this section, “applicant” means the spouse of an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States.

2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month next following the date of enactment, except that a board may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance of that date as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill requires professional and occupational boards to issue a license, certificate of registration, or certification to any applicant who received a license and equivalent training, education, or experience in other state or jurisdiction of the United States for the time the applicant is domiciled in this State.

The bill requires a professional and occupational board to issue a license, certificate, or certification to an applicant who presents evidence to the board that: (1) the applicant’s license, certificate of registration, or certification is in good standing in another jurisdiction; and (2) the applicant complies with all other requirements for licensure, including any requirement for examination.

The bill also requires each board to provide methods of evaluating equivalent training, education, or experience obtained towards meeting the requirements for the issuance of a license, certificate of registration, or certification. However, no method of evaluation shall operate in such a manner as to require the same number of hours of experience by the applicant.

This bill provides reciprocity for individuals with a license, certificate of registration, or certification issued by another jurisdiction of the United States. Individuals with these credentials from other states face barriers to entering the job market because professional and occupational licenses are often not transferable from state to state. This bill would allow individuals licensed in another jurisdiction to obtain a new license in New Jersey by virtue of their licensure in another state or other jurisdiction of the United States and would make it easier for those individuals to find or keep employment in this State.

The bill defines an applicant as a person who is the spouse of an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States.