LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE TO
[Third Reprint]
SENATE, No. 685
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: JULY 16, 1997
Senate Bill No. 685 (3R) of 1996 provides for the licensing of clinical alcohol and drug counselors and the certification of alcohol and drug counselors by the State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners. The bill establishes a five-member Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee to assist the board in performing these activities.
The bill establishes specific educational, training and experience standards which must be met as a condition of licensure or certification. The committee is charged with reviewing the qualifications of applicants and recommending that the board approve or deny the application. The bill exempts from its requirements certain classes of persons who may provide alcohol or drug counseling within the scope of their profession or occupation, including health care workers and clergy.
The bill authorizes the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety to appoint an executive director of the committee at a salary within the limits of available funds. The executive director would be permitted to hire necessary staff within the limits of available funds. Members of the committee would receive a per diem payment for their services.
Based on information provided by the New Jersey Association of Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors, the Division of Consumer Affairs estimates that approximately 2,000 alcohol and drug counselors would be either licensed or certified under the bill. Based on this figure, the division informally estimates the cost to implement the provisions of this bill at $345,000 in the first year after enactment. This estimate includes $135,000 in salary and fringe benefit costs for three clerical personnel and a half-time executive secretary, $159,000 for legal, enforcement and other services; $46,000 for maintenance and equipment; and $5,000 for materials and supplies. After adjustment for inflation and an increased enforcement workload, the division estimates the cost of implementing this bill at $370,000 and $388,000 in the second and third years, respectively.
The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) does not concur with this estimate. OLS finds that the division's estimate overstates certain salary costs while omitting the salary of an executive director of the committee and per diem payments to committee members as required under this bill. Moreover, the bill will not become operational until 360 days following the appointment and qualification of committee members.
Consequently, OLS estimates the cost of implementing this bill in the first year after enactment to be $8,000. This amount includes $6,000 in per diem payments and $2,000 in expenses for the five committee members.
In calculating the costs of this bill in the second and third year after enactment, OLS has removed the salary of one principal clerk from the staff complement; replaced the salary of a half-time executive secretary with that of a half-time executive director; and included the per diem and expense costs for committee members. After these adjustments, the annual cost of implementing the provisions of this bill would be $328,700, $350,500 in the first second and third years, respectively.
The bill permits the board to establish fees to cover the cost of carrying out its responsibilities under the bill. The bill also appropriates $95,000 for this purpose. The expenditure of $8,000 would result in a surplus of $87,000 in the first year after enactment. In the next two years, fees of approximately $170 per capita in licensing, certification and renewal fees would be required to defray the costs of this bill.
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67.