LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
ASSEMBLY, No. 3236
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
DATED: MARCH 10, 2026
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Establishes oversight and qualifications of peer recovery specialists. |
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Type of Impact: |
Annual State expenditure and revenue increases. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Department of Law and Public Safety. |
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Fiscal Impact |
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Annual State Expenditure Increase |
Indeterminate |
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Annual State Revenue Increase |
Indeterminate |
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· The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that the bill’s provisions establishing a peer recovery specialist certification in the Division of Consumer Affairs will result in annual indeterminate increases in State expenditures and revenues. The OLS lacks the informational basis to estimate the magnitude of these increases because it will depend on the number of individuals that pursue the new certification, the extent to which the division’s workload will be augmented by the bill, and the fee structure the division will set.
BILL DESCRIPTION
The bill incorporates peer recovery specialists into current law and authorizes the Division of Consumer Affairs, in the Department of Law and Public Safety, to oversee their regulation. A peer recovery specialist is an individual who provides services as a result of lived experience to other individuals struggling with substance use disorder or mental health problems. The bill requires that an individual may only provide services as a peer recovery specialist and hold themselves out as a specialist if approved by the division.
The division is to establish the requirements to qualify as a peer recovery specialist and will: 1) determine standards to qualify for certification as a peer, including the passage of a criminal history record background check; 2) evaluate the qualifications and make a determination of the eligibility for certification of all applicants; 3) conduct hearings pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act; 4) set fees necessary to process documentation related to certification; and 5) have the authority to address any other item deemed necessary in the oversight of peer recovery specialists.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS finds that the bill’s provisions establishing a peer recovery specialist certification in the Division of Consumer Affairs will result in an annual indeterminate increase in State expenditures and revenues.
State Expenditure Increase: The OLS expects the peer recovery specialist certification to result in additional applications and renewals, thereby increasing the division’s administrative and enforcement expenditures.
During the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee hearing on February 12, 2026, a peer recovery specialist with Mainstream Recovery indicated the organization had trained and certified over 2,000 certified peer recovery specialists.
The OLS, however, has no information on the number of individuals, including those certified by Mainstream Recovery, who will apply for a peer recovery specialist certification with the Division of Consumer Affairs or the marginal regulatory cost per applicant, given that the cost will depend on operating decisions made by the division.
State Revenue Increases: The OLS anticipates that the bill would increase annual State revenue collections from application fees, fines, and penalties related to the new certification. Currently, the division has discretion in setting license fees, fines, and penalties. In the absence of information on these new amounts, the OLS cannot project the magnitude of the associated annual State revenue gain.
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Section: |
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Analyst: |
Lead Fiscal Analyst |
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Approved: |
Thomas Koenig Legislative Budget and Finance Officer |
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).