A2805

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

Assemblywoman LISA SWAIN

District 38 (Bergen)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Tully

SYNOPSIS

Requires issuance of report on certain information and data on processing of applications for professional and occupational licenses and mandates review of training and call intake in Division of Consumer Affairs.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning applications for professional and occupational licensure and supplementing Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.

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

1. a. The Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety (the “division”) shall review and collect information and data, and compile a report for release to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the following items in regards to the professions or occupations regulated by the division or a board, committee or other entity with the division:

(1) the number of outstanding applications for an initial license or other initial credential issued by the specific entity;

(2) the average amount of time needed to approve or otherwise process an application for initial licensure or other initial credential;

(3) the number of incomplete applications received that require additional contact with the applicant to complete the application and a list of the most common omissions and most common errors made that render an application incomplete;

(4) the monthly average of the number of incoming calls received from applicants, to include, if possible to calculate, a categorization of the reasons for calls and how many calls are received in each category, and the monthly average of the number of inquiries received through a call that are answered;

(5) the amount of funding expended to retain division employees;

(6) initiatives undertaken to recruit and retain new division employees;

(7) the percentage of completed applications for initial licensure or other credential over the past five years to include a calculation of the number of applications that have taken at least twice as long to process in comparison to the average time to process an application;

(8) the amount of funding expended to improve information technology (“IT”); and

(9) initiatives undertaken to improve current or to modernize IT.

b. The report required pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be submitted six months after the enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

2. The Attorney General, or a designee, shall develop and administer training specific to a profession and occupation for new employees hired to process initial applications for licensure in the specific profession or occupation.

3. The Attorney General, or a designee, shall review the feasibility of outsourcing phone call intake and response to businesses or associations that assist individuals seeking a license in a specific profession or occupation.

4. This act shall take effect immediately and section 1 shall expire upon the submission of the report by the division.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety to review and collect certain information and data on the professions and occupations regulated by the division, or a board, committee or other entity within the division, and compile a report on the findings to be released, six months after the bill is enacted, to the Governor and State Legislature. The information and data to be reviewed and collected include 1) the number of outstanding applications each profession and occupation has for initial licensure or other type of credential; 2) the number of incomplete applications received; 3) funding expended to retain employees; 4) categorization, if possible, of the reasons for calls from applicants and how many calls come in under each category; and 5) the calculation of the percentage of completed applications for initial licensure or other credential over the past five years, to include a calculation of the number of applications that have taken at least twice as long to process in comparison to the average time to process an application.

Additionally, the Attorney General, or a designee, is to 1) develop and administer training specific to a profession and occupation to new employees hired to process initial applications for licensure in the profession or occupation; and 2) review the feasibility of outsourcing phone call intake and response to businesses or associations that assist individuals seeking a license in a specific profession or occupation.