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A4821 FISCAL ESTIMATE
LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
ASSEMBLY, No. 4821
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
DATED: JULY 1, 2026
SUMMARY
Synopsis:
Enters NJ into Athletic Trainer Compact.
Type of Impact:
Annual increase in State expenditures. Annual decrease in
State revenues.
Agencies Affected:
Department of Law and Public Safety.
Office of
Legislative Services Estimate
Fiscal Impact
Annual
State Expenditure Increase
Indeterminate
State Revenue Decrease
Indeterminate
�
The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that entering
the State into the interstate Athletic Trainer Compact will result in an annual
indeterminate State expenditure increase and State revenue decrease.
�
The OLS cannot quantify the net fiscal impact of the bill given
the lack of sufficient information regarding: 1) the increase in operating
expenses from joining the Athletic Trainer Compact and regulating additional
out-of-state athletic trainers who practice in New Jersey; and 2) the decrease
in license fee revenues from an unknown number of athletic trainers practicing
in this State who reside in other compact states who no longer will apply for a
New Jersey license.
�
The OLS finds, however, that the State�s participation in the
Athletic Trainer Compact may result in ongoing operating costs for New Jersey�s
State Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses certified athletic trainers,
and may result in one-time expenditures from any modification that may have to
be made to existing athletic trainer licenses to comply with compact
requirements.
�
As the board is required statutorily to pay for its operating
expenses out of its fee collections, the OLS notes that the board may adjust
its license fee amounts, if necessary, to account for any significant changes
in its finances due to joining the Athletic Trainer Compact.
BILL DESCRIPTION
����� This bill will enter New Jersey into the Athletic
Training Compact. The compact establishes a multistate license system in which
an individual licensed as an athletic trainer needs only to obtain licensure in
one state that is a party to the compact in order to practice as an athletic
trainer in another member state of the compact, so long as certain requirements
established under the compact are met by the individual.
����� Under the bill, provisions are established regarding,
among other items, the authority of a member state�s licensing authority; how
an adverse action against a multistate licensee is managed; the set-up of the
Athletic Trainer Licensure Compact Commission and its Executive Committee; the
collection of data on member states; and how to withdraw from the compact, if
sought by a member state.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
����� None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
����� The OLS concludes that entering the State into the
interstate Athletic Trainer Compact will result in an annual indeterminate
State expenditure increase and State revenue decrease. The OLS cannot quantify
the net fiscal impact of the bill given a lack of sufficient information.
�����
State Expenditure Increase
:�
First, the bill may increase the State Board of Medical Examiners operating
expenses due to regulating additional out-of-state athletic trainers who are
granted a privilege to practice in the State through the compact. The OLS does
not have information on the number of athletic trainers residing in compact
member states who may apply to practice in the State. According to the National
Athletic Trainers� Association, aside from California, all states and the
District of Columbia have a licensing or regulatory framework for athletic
trainers. According to the Athletic Trainer Compact website, the following
states have enacted Athletic Trainer Compact legislation: Alabama, Iowa,
Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Virginia. New Jersey�s
neighboring states of Pennsylvania and Delaware are considering legislation. As
such, the extent to which the board�s operational costs to process
applications, regulate athletic trainers practicing in the State, and provide
compact member states with information regarding State-licensed athletic
trainers cannot be determined.
����� The State Board of Medical Examiners and the Athletic
Training Advisory Committee in the Department of Law and Public Safety�s Division
of Consumer Affairs also may incur one-time costs to align the existing data
system for certified athletic trainers with the requirements of the compact�s
data system. Without information regarding the extent to which the committee�s
existing system aligns with the requirements of the compact�s data system, the
OLS cannot determine the costs associated with the data system requirements
established under the bill.
����� Another factor affecting the State�s costs to join the
compact is the annual fee that the Athletic Trainer Licensure Compact
Commission may assess from member states.
�����
State Revenue Decrease
:� Finally,
the bill may decrease State revenues from athletic trainer licensing fees
charged to an athletic trainer currently living in another compact member state
who may relinquish their existing New Jersey license. The OLS cannot determine
with any certainty the number of licensed athletic trainers living in other
compact member states who may seek to convert a State license. The number could
be reduced by the fact that New York has not adopted the compact and does not
have pending legislation to join the compact; Pennsylvania and Delaware are the
only states bordering New Jersey that have pending legislation to join the
compact.
����� The revenue impact of such a shift by out-of-state
athletic trainers will be determined by the amount of the fee that the State
may charge, as permitted under the bill. To the extent that the State�s fee for
a license matches or nears the $80 currently charged for an initial or renewal
license, the impact on State revenues would be reduced.
Section:
Law and Public Safety
Analyst:
Kristin Brunner Santos
Law and Public Safety
Approved:
Thomas Koenig
Legislative Budget and Finance Officer
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 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).