TRENTON – Two pieces of legislation sponsored by Senator Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. and Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Troy Singleton that would waive certain professional and occupational licensing fees, as well as, commercial driver’s license fees for veterans and spouses of veterans’ cleared the Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee today.
“We ask a lot from our veterans’ and even more from their families, said Senator Diegnan (D-Middlesex), sponsor of both S-2448 and S-2449. “Not charging an extra fee to those who already hold an out-of-state professional or occupation license or a commercial driver’s license is the right thing to do for families that do so much for us.”
“Often, our service members and their families uproot their entire lives to move to another state when they receive their orders,” said Senator Singleton (D-Burlington), sponsor of S-2448. “Consequently, our veterans and their spouses incur many costs, such as licensing fees, that are associated with rebuilding their professional careers. By waiving these fees, we are not only alleviating some of their financial burden, but we are also encouraging professionals to share their talents with New Jersey.”
The bill, S-2448, would provide that the several professional and occupational licensing boards in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety would not charge a license fee to a veteran or the spouse of a veteran when granting that veteran or spouse, on the basis of reciprocity, a license to practice in New Jersey.
Under the bill, in each such instance, the board would determine that the veteran or spouse holds a current license to practice the profession or occupation in another jurisdiction that the board determines has licensure requirements to practice the profession or occupation that are equivalent, or substantially equivalent, to those adopted by the board.
The bill, S-2449, would waive certain commercial driver license fees for a veteran and his or her spouse. Under the bill, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission would not charge a veteran or his or her spouse a fee for transferring a commercial driver license from the previous state in which the veteran or his or her spouse resided.
The bills, S-2448 and S-2449, were released from committee by a vote of 5-0 and 5-0 respectively, and next head to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for further consideration.