Earlier this year Governor Murphy signed into law the most sweeping changes to the law governing electrical contracting in New Jersey since Governor Hughes signed the Electrical Contractors Licensing Act into law in 1962.
The single biggest change is that all employees in the business of electrical contracting will have to be licensed.
For as big as the changes are, none of them will take effect until the New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors adopts regulations to implement them.
On September 21, 2022 the Board held a special meeting on the new licensing law. The Board listened to a presentation from Division of Consumer Affairs Regulatory Analyst Lycette Nelson about changes requiring the licensure of Journeymen, Wiremen, and Apprentices. While the meeting was open to the public, the Board took no comment from the public, which was entirely appropriate at this point in the regulatory process.
Procedurally, the Board voted to accept the proposed regulations. This begins the official regulatory process. The next step is for the regulations to be proposed in the New Jersey Register. This then affords the public an opportunity to review and comment on the proposal. By law the Board must respond to all comments submitted. Then the Board will adopt the regulations, potentially making changes based on comments received.
It is anticipated the proposed regulations will be proposed in the New Jersey Register sometime this fall. As soon as the regulations are proposed, NJ-IEC will begin the process of reviewing them and seek input from the membership. The NJ-IEC Board asks that all members provide input in helping the association representing your livelihood develop comments reflecting your opinion.