SENATE STATE GOVERNMENT, WAGERING, TOURISM & HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3405

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 23, 2026

      The Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3405.

This bill establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed through a public works contract.

     Any contractor submitting a bid for a contract which is paid for in whole or in part out of the funds of a public body in this State will certify that each employee completing work established in the contract meets at least one of the following qualifications: (1) has graduated from a registered apprenticeship program conforming with the federal standards of apprenticeship for the craft or trade of the journeyperson that are equivalent to those of a US Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program that is sponsored by a labor union or jointly sponsored with a labor union and an employer association, provided that the labor union is signatory to a collective bargaining agreement that is or was the basis for a determination by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development of the prevailing wage; or (2) has completed four years of documented work as a craft worker that can be verified by their pay records or through sworn statements of the craft worker and the employer or employers for whom the craft worker performed services during the four year period.  Craft workers who are members of a labor union and are employed by an employer that is signatory to a collective bargaining agreement that is or was the basis for a determination by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development of the prevailing wage will be exempt from the qualifications established in this bill.