Don’t Stop Believing: Professional Licensing Edition

Government

By Althea D. Ford, NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs On Jan 30, 2026

Picture this: New Jersey’s workforce and business community moving at the speed of opportunity.

Imagine occupational and professional licensing – an essential gateway to work, job creation, and economic growth – operating not as a snarled bureaucratic maze, but like a responsive, user-friendly engine that helps people get to “yes” faster. That vision is no longer aspirational – it’s within reach thanks to a wave of bipartisan reforms paired with a new administration committed to cutting red tape and boosting government efficiency.

Current reality: New Jersey’s Division of Consumer Affairs oversees licensing for hundreds of thousands of professionals and businesses. But too often, outdated processes, understaffed boards, and antiquated systems have left license applicants waiting – and the workforce stalled. This reality is frustrating, undermining our competitiveness and constraining opportunity for job seekers and employers alike.

Now enter: Bold legislative action and a governor willing to make efficiency a hallmark of state government.

Several initiatives have been advancing through the Legislature to meaningfully address the operational and procedural challenges experienced by the regulated professional community. A bill, sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Joseph Lagana, would create a public online licensing data portal to transparently track application volumes, processing times, and outcomes – bringing real visibility into where delays occur and empowering applicants and employers with clearer expectations.

In the Assembly, Regulated Professions Committee Chairman Sterling Stanley held a special legislative meeting to discuss operational successes and pain points for licensees and has sponsored several pieces of legislation that directly address those concerns, like a bill that would clarify quorum standards – eliminating procedural lag for straightforward approvals and keeping the wheels of workforce entry turning.

But legislation isn’t happening in a vacuum. Gov. Mikie Sherrill has explicitly made cutting red tape and reducing licensing wait times part of her government efficiency agenda – promising to cut professional and business license approval wait times in half and overhaul outdated systems across state government, so they serve users, not frustrate them.

The result: Efficiency upgrades that will lead to economic wins. Timely licensing and administrative transparency are key to keeping New Jersey competitive, helping job creators fill critical positions and stay open for business. Legislative reforms, paired with a gubernatorial commitment to efficiency, signal real momentum toward a system that works as hard as the people it serves.

The stars are aligning for New Jersey to modernize its operations for the benefit of licensees and the consumers who rely on their services. With these initiatives moving forward, a more efficient, transparent, and business-friendly Garden State is finally within reach.

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