ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 3864

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 12, 2024

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 3864 with committee amendments.

      As amended, this bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish and maintain an educator common application and web portal. The web portal is to allow candidates who have been issued a certificate necessary to seek employment in a public school, including a substitute teacher credential, to submit a single common application to apply for employment at the public schools of the State.

The common application and web portal are to: (1) maximize the ability of educators to connect with public schools that have employment openings; (2) increase the degree of information sharing regarding employment opportunities for educators; and (3) maintain high standards for data privacy and security.

      The amended bill authorizes the commissioner to contract with a private vendor to establish and maintain the portal. The commissioner may also reconstruct an existing Internet website or web portal operated by the Department of Education.

      The amended bill also provides that nothing in the bill is to prevent a school district or public school employer from using its own application process or web portal or from requiring additional materials from applicants who apply for employment using the common application and web portal.

      As amended and reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 3864 is identical to Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill Nos. 2498 and 2505, which was also reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

· remove the requirement that the common application and web portal be operational within 90 days of the bill’s effective date;

· permit web portal access to candidates who have been issued a certificate necessary to seek employment in a public school, including a substitute teacher credential;

· permit the Commissioner of Education to reconstruct an existing Internet website or web portal operated by the Department of Education to meet the requirements of the bill; and

· change the effective date to the first day of the eighth month next following the bill’s effective date, with the exception that the commissioner is permitted to take any anticipatory action necessary to effectuate the bill’s purposes.