SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 279

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  OCTOBER 22, 2020

     The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 279.

     This bill revises the requirements and process for the issuance of temporary courtesy licenses and certificates to nonresident military spouses.

     Current law provides a process for an individual who is licensed to teach in another state and is married to an active duty member of the military, who has been transferred to New Jersey, to obtain a temporary instructional certificate to be employed as a teacher in New Jersey on a temporary basis while completing any additional requirements for a New Jersey instructional certificate.  The temporary instructional certificate is valid for 180 days and may be extended by the State Board of Examiners for another 180 days.  This bill amends current law to provide that the temporary instructional certificate will be valid for 365 days and will be extended by the State board for another four years if the holder demonstrates progress towards obtaining a standard instructional certificate in a time and manner as determined by the board. The bill also provides that the applicant need only pay a criminal history record check fee.

     The bill supplements existing law to require the Department of Education to establish procedures to expedite the processing of an application submitted by a nonresident military spouse for a New Jersey instructional certificate.

     Also under current law, the New Jersey Board of Nursing may grant a temporary courtesy license to a nonresident military spouse only if the applicant holds a current license to practice nursing in another jurisdiction which the board determines has licensure requirements to practice nursing that are equivalent to those adopted by the board.  This bill removes the provision that the board is required to determine whether the out-of-State license held by the applicant has requirements equivalent to those adopted by the board.  The bill also clarifies that the board may only charge fees related to conducting a criminal history record check. Additionally, the bill requires the board to establish an expedited licensing process for the issuance of temporary courtesy licenses to nonresident military spouses.

     The bill would also require each board to extend indefinitely temporary courtesy licenses to nonresident military spouses so long as the applicant’s spouse is stationed in New Jersey.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.