NJ A1545 Would Allow NJ Professional License Reciprocity With Other States

A bill introduced in the 2010-2011 Legislative session and carried over to the 2012-2013 Legislative session would allow NJ's Professional Licensing Boards to grant reciprocity, without taking an examination, to applicants licensed in other states that meet equal or greater licensing requirements than the State of New Jersey.  

The problem with the original version of this bill was there was no reciprocity included in the bill. The way the bill was written, there was no requirement for any other state to grant reciprocity to a NJ Licensee in return for NJ granting reciprocity to their Licensee. 

NJECPAC who represents the interests of NJ's Electrical Contractors were the only group that picked up that obvious flaw in the bill. NJECPAC was successful in having the bill amended to require that in order for reciprocity to take place the corresponding state would have to also grant the same reciprocity to NJ's Licensees. The Electrical Licensing Board currently opposes reciprocity with other states.  

  

If passed, A1545 would also grant a grace period for licensees whose license has expired to allow a period of time that the business can operate while the appropriate steps are taken to renew the license. Read the current Bill Here

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NJ's Licensed professionals owe state $13.8M in overdue fines,

Licensed professionals such as doctors, accountants, Plumbers & Electricians owe New Jersey $13.8 million in overdue fines for everything from lying about their education to sexually harassing a patient during a checkup, and state officials concede they haven’t done enough to collect the money. 

The unpaid fines were disclosed by state officials after The Star-Ledger reviewed six years worth of records from New Jersey’s 46 Licensing and Disciplinary Boards that are charged with protecting consumers from dishonest or dangerous professionals. The review showed that, 28 percent of fines went uncollected.  

"Consumers are going to these professionals, and some of them did things that meant they needed to be fined or reprimanded, yet they’re getting away with not paying," said Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action, a government watchdog group. "If there are no punishments for what they do, then they’ll continue to do it."

In response to questions from The Star-Ledger, state officials said changes are already in the works. Thomas Calcagni, head of the Division of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the boards, said that by the start of next year, all the boards will use a new, automated debt-tracking system.

Read More from the Star Ledger

 

New Jersey IEC President Arthur Carver warns "Consumers must beware when hiring any Licensed Professional. Make sure they show a valid license and business permit and follow up with their respective Licensing Board to make sure they are in fact licensed and if so that their license is in good standing".

"There are ongoing problems within many Licensed Professions with individuals holding themselves out to be licensed when in fact they are not. Perhaps the best example of this problem is the majority of Solar Companies in NJ are not Licensed and are in fact operating an Electrical Contracting Business without a License or Business Permit, a 4th degree felony in NJ. These individuals some of whom get front page stories written about their installations published in local newspapers, if in fact unlicensed have committed a felony offense as soon as they handle and install even one Solar Panel", said NJECPAC Government Affairs Director Joseph Hovanec. Read More

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Only Electrical Contractors Can Legally Install Solar Voltaic Panels In New Jersey

There is considerable confusion about whether an Electrical Contractor's License and Business Permit is required for solar-photovoltaic (SPV) installations in New Jersey.

The answer, direct from the NJ Electrical Licensing Board is, with the exception of owners of single family homes installing PV panels on their own home is yes. See letter published in the NJ Construction Code Communicator Here

N.J.S.A. 45:5A-1 et seq., known as "The Electrical Contractors Licensing Act of 1962", States; "No person shall advertise, enter into, engage in, or work in a business as an electrical contractor unless they have secured a business permit and a license from the New Jersey Board of Electrical Contractors (the Board)."

The term "electrical contractor" is defined as a person who engages in the business of contracting to install, erect, repair, or alter electrical equipment for the generation, transmission, or utilization of electrical energy (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-2(d)).

SPV systems, by definition, are electrical work. They are a series of components that generate (the SPV panels), transmit, and/or utilize electrical energy. Any person engaged in installing, erecting, repairing, etc. such equipment must be an electrical contractor under the provisions of the Act. Read More

The Law applies to all Residential, Commercial, and Institutional, and Industrial installations of Photo Voltaic Panels.

Additionally any person who engages in these activities without a valid Electrical Contractors Business Permit may be charged with a Felony in the State of New Jersey. (151_C.2C21-33 of the New Jersey Statutes)

Read Felony Law Here

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Solar Photovoltaic Installations: The Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors Explains.

It seems there is considerable confusion about whether an electrical contractor's license is required for solar-photovoltaic (SPV) installations.

Substantially, the question is: are SPV installations, including the SPV panels themselves, electrical work within the meaning of the regulations, so as to require an applicant for a construction permit to obtain an electrical contractor's license to perform such work? 

The short answer is yes; except that owners of single-family homes doing work on their own dwellings are exempt.

Recently the Board considered this issue and concluded that SPV systems, including the SPV panels themselves, to the extent that they are used for the generation, transmission, or utilization of electrical energy, constitute electrical work within the meaning of the Act.

Therefore, unless work was exempted by statute (e.g. operates at less than 10 volts, etc.), a contractor is required to obtain a license and business permit issued by the Board to install, erect, and repair, etc., SPV systems including SPV panels themselves.

To read the Excerpt on SPV Systems from the Spring 2010 Construction Code Communicator click Here.

To view the Spring 2010 Issue of The Construction Code Communicator click Here

Governor Signs Law Limiting Time For Licensing Boards To Resolve Complaints

On Friday May 7th, Governor Chris Christie signed S936 / A2297 (Cardinale, Sarlo, Prieto) into Law.

The new law requires consumer complaints to Licensing Boards of Regulated Professions to be resolved within 120 days.

S936 is a bill supported by the NJECPAC Member Organizations

Take Our Poll on PV Solar Panel Installations

During the Public Session of the April 4th 2007 Business Meeting of the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, the Board ruled that Only Electrical Contractors with a valid Electrical Contracting License and Business Permit are permitted to handle, mount, and wire, Solar PV Panels

The rule applies to all Solar Photovoltaic Array Modular Panels that emit a voltage greater than ten volts when subjected to natural or artificial light.

Please take our Poll contained within this Blog concerning this topic
Your input is important to us.

For Board Ruling Click Here
Click Here for Board Meeting Minutes