SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3741

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  OCTOBER 5, 2026

      The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3741.

      This bill modifies the requirements for licensure in marriage and family therapy.

      Under current law, an applicant for licensure as a practicing marriage and family therapist is required to complete three years of full-time counseling experience, which is to include two years of supervised marriage and family therapy experience.  The bill reduces this requirement to two years of full-time supervised marriage and family therapy experience. 

      The bill also permits an applicant with a master’s degree to apply up to 300 hours of client contact earned by the applicant while obtaining the master’s degree towards the experience requirements for licensure as a practicing marriage and family therapist.  An applicant with a post-master’s or doctoral degree is required to complete one of the two years of full-time supervised marriage and family therapy experience after the applicant obtains the post-master’s or doctoral degree.

      The bill requires the board to admit an applicant for licensure to an examination conducted by the board if the applicant meets the educational requirement but has not yet met the experience requirements for licensure.  Under current law, an applicant for licensure as a practicing marriage and family therapist is required to meet both the educational and experience requirements for licensure before the applicant can be admitted to an examination.

      The bill clarifies that an applicant for licensure as an associate marriage and family therapist is not required to meet the experience and examination qualifications required for licensure as a practicing marriage and family therapist.

      The bill also shortens, from 6 months to 90 days, the period that an applicant who fails an examination is to wait for admittance to a subsequent examination.