LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
ASSEMBLY, No. 4821
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
DATED: JULY 1, 2026
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Enters NJ into Athletic Trainer Compact. |
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Type of Impact: |
Annual increase in State expenditures. Annual decrease in State revenues. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Department of Law and Public Safety. |
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Office of Legislative Services Estimate |
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Fiscal Impact |
Annual |
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State Expenditure Increase |
Indeterminate |
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State Revenue Decrease |
Indeterminate |
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· The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that entering the State into the interstate Athletic Trainer Compact will result in an annual indeterminate State expenditure increase and State revenue decrease.
· The OLS cannot quantify the net fiscal impact of the bill given the lack of sufficient information regarding: 1) the increase in operating expenses from joining the Athletic Trainer Compact and regulating additional out-of-state athletic trainers who practice in New Jersey; and 2) the decrease in license fee revenues from an unknown number of athletic trainers practicing in this State who reside in other compact states who no longer will apply for a New Jersey license.
· The OLS finds, however, that the State’s participation in the Athletic Trainer Compact may result in ongoing operating costs for New Jersey’s State Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses certified athletic trainers, and may result in one-time expenditures from any modification that may have to be made to existing athletic trainer licenses to comply with compact requirements.
· As the board is required statutorily to pay for its operating expenses out of its fee collections, the OLS notes that the board may adjust its license fee amounts, if necessary, to account for any significant changes in its finances due to joining the Athletic Trainer Compact.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill will enter New Jersey into the Athletic Training Compact. The compact establishes a multistate license system in which an individual licensed as an athletic trainer needs only to obtain licensure in one state that is a party to the compact in order to practice as an athletic trainer in another member state of the compact, so long as certain requirements established under the compact are met by the individual.
Under the bill, provisions are established regarding, among other items, the authority of a member state’s licensing authority; how an adverse action against a multistate licensee is managed; the set-up of the Athletic Trainer Licensure Compact Commission and its Executive Committee; the collection of data on member states; and how to withdraw from the compact, if sought by a member state.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS concludes that entering the State into the interstate Athletic Trainer Compact will result in an annual indeterminate State expenditure increase and State revenue decrease. The OLS cannot quantify the net fiscal impact of the bill given a lack of sufficient information.
State Expenditure Increase: First, the bill may increase the State Board of Medical Examiners operating expenses due to regulating additional out-of-state athletic trainers who are granted a privilege to practice in the State through the compact. The OLS does not have information on the number of athletic trainers residing in compact member states who may apply to practice in the State. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, aside from California, all states and the District of Columbia have a licensing or regulatory framework for athletic trainers. According to the Athletic Trainer Compact website, the following states have enacted Athletic Trainer Compact legislation: Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Virginia. New Jersey’s neighboring states of Pennsylvania and Delaware are considering legislation. As such, the extent to which the board’s operational costs to process applications, regulate athletic trainers practicing in the State, and provide compact member states with information regarding State-licensed athletic trainers cannot be determined.
The State Board of Medical Examiners and the Athletic Training Advisory Committee in the Department of Law and Public Safety’s Division of Consumer Affairs also may incur one-time costs to align the existing data system for certified athletic trainers with the requirements of the compact’s data system. Without information regarding the extent to which the committee’s existing system aligns with the requirements of the compact’s data system, the OLS cannot determine the costs associated with the data system requirements established under the bill.
Another factor affecting the State’s costs to join the compact is the annual fee that the Athletic Trainer Licensure Compact Commission may assess from member states.
State Revenue Decrease: Finally, the bill may decrease State revenues from athletic trainer licensing fees charged to an athletic trainer currently living in another compact member state who may relinquish their existing New Jersey license. The OLS cannot determine with any certainty the number of licensed athletic trainers living in other compact member states who may seek to convert a State license. The number could be reduced by the fact that New York has not adopted the compact and does not have pending legislation to join the compact; Pennsylvania and Delaware are the only states bordering New Jersey that have pending legislation to join the compact.
The revenue impact of such a shift by out-of-state athletic trainers will be determined by the amount of the fee that the State may charge, as permitted under the bill. To the extent that the State’s fee for a license matches or nears the $80 currently charged for an initial or renewal license, the impact on State revenues would be reduced.
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Section: |
Law and Public Safety |
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Analyst: |
Law and Public Safety |
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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.).