(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Camden/Gloucester) to bring transparency to the state’s professional licensure exam process has been signed into law.
Moriarty sponsored the measure after hearing from a constituent about supposed high failure rates for a particular occupation. When Moriarty looked into it, he found that the passage and failure rates for board license exams, which range from nursing to accounting, are not easily accessible.
“This will help broaden transparency in a system that provides little, if any information to individuals attempting to further their careers by becoming licensed professionals,” said Moriarty.
“This law requires that licensing exam rates be reported to the Legislature. Armed with this information, the Legislature can then take a closer look at what exams yield high failure rates and determine whether there is an issue with an exam that should be addressed,” added Moriarty.
The law (A-760) requires any professional or occupational board, agency, or committee located in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety or in the Department of Environmental Protection that administers examinations that determine, or that are otherwise related to, licensure in that profession or occupation to report annually to the Legislature the passage and failure rates, as well as any additional information relevant to interpreting examination results, for each examination the board, agency, or committee administers.