Requires professional boards to issue licenses for veterans with good standing license or certification in another jurisdiction under certain circumstances.

A1879

ASSEMBLY, No. 1879

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER

District 28 (Essex and Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblymen Webber, Calabrese, Scharfenberger and
Assemblywoman Flynn

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires professional boards to issue licenses for
veterans with good standing license or certification in another jurisdiction
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 the license, certificate of registration, or certification
to an applicant with a license and equivalent training, education, and
experience received while serving or after serving as a member of the Armed
Forces of the United States, regardless of whether the license, training,
education, or experience was obtained during or outside the applicant�s service
with the Armed Forces.

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

���� (1)�� the applicant has been
honorably discharged from active military service; and

���� (2)�� the applicant�s license,
certificate, or certification is in good standing in another jurisdiction; and

���� (3)�� the applicant complies
with all other requirements for licensure, including, without limitation, 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 by the
board 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, or certification pursuant to this section;
provided however 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.

���� 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, or
certification to any applicant who received a license and equivalent training,
education, or experience while serving or after serving as a member of the
Armed Forces of the United States.� The person applying for the license, certificate,
or certification could have obtained a license and training, education, or
experience during or outside of the person�s military service.

���� 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 was honorably discharged from active military service; (2) the
applicant�s license, certificate, or certification is in good standing in
another jurisdiction; and (3) the applicant complies with all other
requirements for licensure, including a 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, 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 veterans with a license, certificate, or certification issued by another
jurisdiction.� Veterans with these credentials face barriers to entering the
job market since occupational licenses are not necessarily portable due to
different standards required by individual states; however, often times, a
veteran�s training, education, and experience as a licensed professional in
another state is valuable and transferable.� This bill would help veterans
licensed in another jurisdiction to obtain their license in New Jersey and more
easily find or keep employment in this State.