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S3548
SENATE, No. 3548
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FERBRUARY 19, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� ANTHONY M. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
���� Provides license renewal fee relief for businesses
and individuals impacted by public highway projects.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
providing relief from license renewal fees for
businesses and persons impacted by certain highway projects, supplementing
Titles 45 and 52 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� A professional
subject to professional license renewal fees and practicing within an impacted
construction zone shall be entitled to waiver of those renewal fees which
become due during the time period in which a public highway project is active.
���� b.��� (1)� After the
commencement of a public highway project, a professional may apply to the
director or the requisite professional licensing board regulating the services
provided by the professional for a waiver of license fees which become due
during the relief period authorized under this section.� The application shall
be submitted in a form and manner prescribed by the director.� The director
shall require the professional to submit any documentation as the director
deems necessary to verify that the professional provides services within an
impacted construction zone and has suffered a significant reduction in income
caused by the public highway project.
���� (2)�� If the director deems
that the professional meets the conditions set forth in subsection a. of this
section, upon approval of an application submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) of
this subsection, the director shall issue a written determination to the professional,
which determination shall indicate that the license renewal fee waiver shall
apply.
���� c.���� Upon commencement or
completion of a public highway project, the Commissioner of Transportation
shall provide written notice to the director attesting to the commencement or
completion of the project, as applicable.� Within 30 days following the
effective date of P.L.���� , c.��� (C.��� ) (pending before the Legislature as
this bill), the commissioner shall provide written notice to the director
attesting to each ongoing public highway project within the State.
���� d.��� As used in this section:
���� �Director� means the Director
of the Division of Consumer Affairs within the Office of the Attorney General.
���� �Impacted construction zone�
means any area immediately surrounding a public highway project within which
area the occurrence of the public highway project impedes or blocks the normal
and reasonable flow of traffic or otherwise restricts access to business
establishments located within the area.
���� �Professional� shall mean any holder
of a professional or occupational license or certificate of registration or
certification issued or renewed by a board specified in Title 45 of the Revised
Statutes, or by another entity of State government, as determined by the
director.
���� �Professional license renewal
fees� a fee paid to renew a professional or occupational license or certificate
of registration or certification, required pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised
Statutes or by another entity of State government, as determined by the
director.
���� �Public highway project� means
any infrastructure project that involves the construction, improvement, or
maintenance of a federal, State, county, or municipal highway, road, or street,
including but not limited to, the repair or reconstruction of any highway,
road, or street that has suffered serious damage as a result of a natural
disaster or catastrophic failure from any external cause.
���� �Relief period� means the
period of time between the date on which a public highway project commences and
the date on which the project concludes.
���� 2.��� a.� A small business
owner required to apply for and maintain a license or registration to operate
the business from, as applicable, the Director of the Division of Revenue and
Enterprise Services within the Department of the Treasury, and that operates a
retail business establishment within an impacted construction zone shall be
entitled to a waiver of any applicable� fees for licensure or registration
renewal required by the division or requisite professional board which become
due during the time period in which a public highway project is active.
���� b.��� (1)� After the
commencement of a public highway project, a small business owner may apply to
the director for a waiver of any applicable fees for licensure or registration
renewal which become due during the relief period authorized under this
section.� The application shall be submitted in a form and manner as prescribed
by the director.� The director shall require the owner to submit any
documentation as the director deems necessary to verify that the owner operates
a retail business establishment within an impacted construction zone and has
suffered a significant reduction in income caused by the public highway
project.
���� (2)�� If the director deems
that the small business owner meets the conditions set forth in subsection a.
of this section, upon approval of an application submitted pursuant to
paragraph (1) of this subsection, the director shall issue a written
determination to the business owner, which determination shall indicate the
retail business establishment at which the fee waiver shall apply.
���� c.���� Upon commencement or
completion of a public highway project, the Commissioner of Transportation
shall provide written notice to the director attesting to the commencement or
completion of the project, as applicable.� Within 30 days following the
effective date of P.L.���� , c.����� (C.��� ) (pending before the Legislature
as this bill), the commissioner shall provide written notice to the director
attesting to each ongoing public highway project within the State.
���� d.��� As used in this section:
���� �Business registration fees�
means fees paid to the State of New Jersey to register a business or business
entity, but shall not include fees paid to a municipality or unit of local
government.
���� �Director� means the Director
of the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services within the Department of the
Treasury.
���� �Impacted construction zone�
means any area immediately surrounding a public highway project within which
area the occurrence of the public highway project impedes or blocks the normal
and reasonable flow of traffic or otherwise restricts access to business
establishments located within the area.
���� �Public highway project� means
any infrastructure project that involves the construction, improvement, or
maintenance of a federal, State, county, or municipal highway, road, or street,
including but not limited to, the repair or reconstruction of any highway,
road, or street that has suffered serious damage as a result of a natural
disaster or catastrophic failure from any external cause.
���� �Relief period� means the
period of time between the date on which a public highway project commences and
the date on which the project concludes.
���� �Retail business
establishment� means a business that maintains a fixed permanent location where
goods are exhibited or services are offered on an appointment or walk-in basis.
���� �Small business owner� means any
proprietorship, partnership, limited liability corporation, limited liability
partnership, or other legal business entity with no more than 50 full-time
employees, is independently owned and operated, has its principal place of
business in the State of New Jersey, that is subject to business registration
fees, and is not delinquent or deficient with respect to any payment to the
State.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill provides various
forms of fee relief to certain businesses and professionals who are adversely
impacted by a public highway project, such as the closure and repair of
Interstate 80 in Morris County after the discovery of numerous sinkholes along
the roadway.
���� The closures and ongoing
construction created significant traffic congestion along the detour routes.�
Commercial establishments, especially small businesses, experienced reduced
activity as a result of longer commute times, road closures, and unpredictable
local travel times.� The bill recognizes the impact these conditions have on
small businesses and on the licensed professionals who work for these businesses,
and it provides relief for any business license or professional license renewal
which comes due during the relief period related to construction projects as
defined in the bill.
���� The bill provides for the
Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs within the Office of the Attorney
General and the Director of the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services
within the Department of the Treasury to establish application and fee waiver
processes to effectuate the provisions of the bill.