NJBIA is urging an Assembly committee today to advance a package of bills aimed at improving operations at state licensing boards so that thousands of professionals, from accountants to veterinarians, can obtain the licenses they need to work in a timelier manner.

Bills A-3389, A-3390, and A-3577 will be heard by the Assembly Regulated Professions Committee this afternoon. A fourth bill, A-4275, would require an online tracking system for professional licenses, as well as project permits.

“With workforce shortages prevalent in many industries, it is important to ensure that the Division of Consumer Affairs is given the tools and infrastructure to operate efficiently and effectively to serve the over 720,000 licensees and the millions of consumers who rely on these professionals,” NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Althea D. Ford said in her written testimony submitted to the committee in advance of the hearing.

“These bills capture some of the pain points that have been communicated to the previous administration by NJBIA and a coalition of groups representing the licensed community since 2022,” Ford said.

Ford said A-3389 (Stanley/Speight/Collazos-Gill), A-3390 (Stanley) and A-3577 (Greenwald/Swain/Hutchison) would provide meaningful solutions to improve New Jersey's workforce pipeline infrastructure because they will:

•  Ensure that a lack of quorum due to board vacancies does not hinder an individual’s license application from being processed in a timely manner.

•  Provide insight into the Division of Consumer Affairs’ operational efficiencies via public access to non-confidential statistical datasets concerning application volume, processing times, and disposition of consumer complaints.

• Require the Division of Consumer Affairs to develop and administer profession-specific training for employees supporting the professional boards and reviewing the feasibility of outsourcing intake calls by individuals seeking a license in a specific profession or occupation to entities with industry and licensing expertise.

A fourth bill, A-4275 (Hutchison/Miller), would establish an online statewide tracking system for permits, licenses, certifications, and form applications issued by any state Department, agency or boards. The state Office of Information Technology will be given one year from the bill’s date of enactment to establish the online tracking system.

“NJBIA supports legislation that makes state government more accountable to taxpayers,” NJBIA Chief Government Affairs Officer Christopher Emigholz said Monday. “Tracking applications, permitting and licensing allows the state to better manage results and demand better accountability for the businesses and professional licensees it serves.”

Emigholz said that going forward, NJBIA wants to ensure that this bill is properly aligned to Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s vision and her Saving Taxpayers Time and Money agenda. Last week she announced that a pilot New Jersey Permitting Dashboard will launch this summer to help developers, businesses, and nonprofits track the permit applications for their projects.

The pilot will be limited to 10 energy, commercial, or multi-family housing projects that have recently submitted—or are about to submit—permit applications to the state departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation, and/or Community Affairs.

“We need to be sure the legislative and executive branches are working together and are on the same page,” Emigholz said.