Bill Text: NJ A835 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Removes examination requirement for relicensure as real estate broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson by licensed real estate referral agents under certain circumstances.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Regulated Professions Committee [A835 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A835-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANGELICA M. JIMENEZ
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE CHAPARRO
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Removes examination requirement for relicensure as real estate broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson by licensed real estate referral agents under certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning real estate referral agents and amending R.S.45:15-9.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. R.S.45:15-9 is amended to read as follows:
45:15-9. All persons desiring
to become real estate brokers, broker-salespersons, salespersons or referral
agents shall apply to the commission for a license under the provisions of
R.S.45:15-1 et seq. Every applicant for a license as a broker,
broker-salesperson, salesperson or referral agent shall be of the age of 18
years or over, and in the case of an association or a corporation the directors
thereof shall be of the age of 18 years or over. Application for a license,
whether as a real estate broker, broker-salesperson, salesperson or referral
agent, shall be made to the commission upon forms prescribed by it and shall be
accompanied by an application fee of $50 which fee shall not be refundable. Every
applicant for a license whether as a real estate broker, broker-salesperson,
salesperson or referral agent shall have the equivalent of a high school
education. The issuance of a license to an applicant who is a nonresident of
this State shall be deemed to be his irrevocable consent that service of
process upon him as a licensee in any action or proceeding may be made upon him
by service upon the secretary of the commission or the person in charge of the
office of the commission. The applicant shall furnish evidence of good moral
character, and in the case of an association, partnership or corporation, the
members, officers or directors thereof shall furnish evidence of good moral
character. The commission may make such investigation and require such proof
as it deems proper and in the public interest as to the honesty,
trustworthiness, character and integrity of an applicant. Any applicant for
licensure pursuant to this section and any officer, director, partner or owner
of a controlling interest of a corporation or partnership filing for licensure
pursuant to this section shall submit to the commission the applicant's name,
address, fingerprints and written consent for a criminal history record
background check to be performed. The commission is hereby authorized to
exchange fingerprint data with and receive criminal history record information
from the State Bureau of Identification in the Division of State Police and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation consistent with applicable State and federal
laws, rules and regulations, for the purposes of facilitating determinations
concerning licensure eligibility. The applicant shall bear the cost for the
criminal history record background check,
including all costs of administering and processing the check. The Division of State Police shall promptly notify the commissioner in the event a current holder of a license or prospective applicant, who was the subject of a criminal history record background check pursuant to this section, is arrested for a crime or offense in this State after the date the background check was performed. Every applicant for a license as a broker or broker-salesperson shall have first been the holder of a New Jersey real estate salesperson's license and have been actively engaged on a full-time basis in the real estate brokerage business in this State as a real estate salesperson for three years immediately preceding the date of application, which requirement may be waived by the commission where the applicant has been the holder of a broker's license in another state and actively engaged in the real estate brokerage business for at least three years immediately preceding the date of his application, meets the educational requirements and qualifies by examination. No license as a broker shall be granted to a general partnership or corporation unless at least one of the partners or officers of said general partnership or corporation qualifies as and holds a license as a broker to transact business in the name and on behalf of said general partnership or corporation as its authorized broker and no such authorized broker shall act as a broker on his own individual account unless he is also licensed as a broker in his individual name; the license of said general partnership or corporation shall cease if at least one partner or officer does not hold a license as its authorized broker at all times. A change in the status of the license of an authorized broker to an individual capacity or vice versa shall be effected by application to the commission accompanied by a fee of $50. No license as a broker shall be granted to a limited partnership unless its general partner qualifies as and holds a license as a broker to transact business in the name of and on behalf of the limited partnership. In the event that a corporation is a general partner of a limited partnership, no license as a broker shall be granted to the limited partnership unless the corporation is licensed as a broker and one of the officers of the corporation qualifies as and holds a license as the corporation's authorized broker.
An application for licensure as a referral agent and for any renewal thereof shall include a certification signed by the licensed real estate broker by whom the applicant is or will be employed, on a form and in a manner prescribed by the commission, which certification shall confirm that: the broker and the applicant or renewing referral agent have reviewed the restrictions imposed by law upon the activities of a referral agent; and the applicant or referral agent has acknowledged that he is aware that such activity is limited to referring prospective consumers of real estate brokerage services to that broker.
In the event that a person who held a broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson license fails to renew that license and then, in the two years immediately following the expiration date of the last license held, seeks to reinstate such license, the commission shall require, as a condition to such reinstatement during that two-year period, that the applicant submit proof of having completed the continuing education requirement applicable to that license type in the preceding license term.
In the event that any person to whom a broker's or broker-salesperson's license has been or shall have been issued shall fail to renew such license or obtain a new license for a period of more than two but less than five consecutive years after the expiration of the last license held, prior to issuing another broker or broker-salesperson license to the person, the commission shall require such person to complete the continuing education requirements applicable to salesperson licensees in the preceding license term, to work as a licensed salesperson on a full-time basis for one full year, to pass the broker's license examination, and to successfully complete a 90-hour general broker's pre-licensure course at a licensed real estate school, as the commission shall prescribe by regulation. In the event that any person to whom a broker's or broker-salesperson's license has been or shall have been issued fails to maintain or renew the license or obtain a new license for a period of more than five consecutive years after the expiration of the last license held, prior to issuing another broker or broker-salesperson license to the person the commission shall require the person to pass the salesperson's license examination and then to work as a licensed salesperson on a full-time basis for three years, to fulfill all of the educational requirements applicable to first time applicants for a broker or broker-salesperson license and to pass the broker's license examination. The commission may, in its discretion, approve for relicensure the former holder of a broker or broker-salesperson license who has not renewed the license or obtained a new license for two or more consecutive years upon a sufficient showing that the applicant was medically unable to do so. All applicants so approved shall pass the broker's license examination and complete the continuing education requirements applicable to broker licensees in the preceding licensure term prior to being relicensed. This paragraph shall not apply to a person reapplying for a broker's or broker-salesperson's license who was licensed as a broker or broker-salesperson and who allowed his license to expire due to subsequent employment in a public agency in this State with responsibility for dealing with matters relating to real estate if the person reapplying does so within one year of termination of that employment.
In the event that any person to whom a salesperson's or a referral agent's license has been or shall have been issued shall fail to maintain or renew such license or obtain a new license for a period of two consecutive years or more after the expiration of the last license held, the commission shall require such person to attend a licensed school and pass the State examination prior to issuance of a further license. The commission may, in its discretion, approve for relicensure a salesperson or a referral agent applicant who has not renewed his license or obtained a new license for two or more consecutive years upon a sufficient showing that the applicant was medically unable to do so. All salesperson or referral agent applicants so approved shall pass the salesperson's license examination and, with respect to salespersons, complete the continuing education requirements applicable to salesperson licensees in the preceding licensure term prior to being relicensed. This paragraph shall not apply to a person reapplying for a salesperson's or referral agent's license who was a licensed salesperson or referral agent and who allowed his license to expire due to subsequent employment in a public agency in this State with responsibility for dealing with matters relating to real estate if the person reapplying does so within one year of termination of that employment.
A licensed referral agent who was not previously licensed as a broker, broker-salesperson, or salesperson and who has been licensed as a referral agent for the six immediately preceding years or any lesser period of time shall, in order to qualify for licensure as a salesperson, complete up to 30 hours of continuing education as prescribed by commission rule. A person who was previously licensed as a broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson and who has been licensed as a referral agent for the six immediately preceding years or any lesser period of time shall, in order to qualify for the reissuance of a broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson license, as applicable, complete up to 30 hours of continuing education as prescribed by commission rule.
A licensed referral agent who was not previously licensed as a broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson and who has been licensed as a referral agent for more than the six immediately preceding years shall, in order to qualify for licensure as a salesperson, be required to complete the pre-licensure education requirement applicable to candidates for licensure as a salesperson and pass the State license examination. A person who was previously licensed as a broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson and who has been licensed as a referral agent for more than the six immediately preceding years shall, in order to qualify for relicensure as a broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson, as applicable, complete [up to] 30 hours of continuing education [as prescribed by commission rule and pass the broker license examination or the salesperson license examination, as applicable] , 24 hours of which shall be in core topics, including any required continuing education for previous real estate license cycles and the current real estate license cycle in which the referral agent is seeking to change the license type back to broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson. A licensed referral agent who does not complete the required 30 hours of continuing education by the end of the license cycle in which the referral agent is seeking to change the license type back to broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson will lose their license and shall be required to take the 75-hour prelicensure salesperson or referral agent course or 150-hour broker or broker-salesperson course and pass the broker license examination or the salesperson license examination, as applicable, in accordance with R.S.45:15-10 and section 1 of P.L.1966, c.227 (C.45:15-10.1).
Any referral agent seeking licensure as a real estate broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson shall make application for such license on a form as prescribed by the commission, pay all application and licensure fees as set forth herein, furnish to the commission evidence of the referral agent's good moral character, and be subject to investigation by and required to produce to the commission such proof of the referral agent's honesty, trustworthiness and integrity as the commission deems proper and in the public interest.
(cf: P.L.2009, c.238, s.3)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The law concerning licensure of real estate brokers, broker-salespersons and salespersons was amended pursuant to P.L.2009, c.238 to create a new licensing category of referral agents, which was also placed under the purview of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission. This bill removes the examination requirement for relicensure as a broker, broker-salesperson, or salesperson in certain cases in which a licensed referral agent, who was previously licensed as a broker, broker-salesperson, or salesperson, and who seeks relicensure as a broker, broker-salesperson, or salesperson, as applicable, has been licensed as a referral agent for more than the six immediately preceding years.
The bill provides that relicensure as a broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson, without submitting to an examination, by a person who has been licensed as a referral agent for more than the six immediately preceding years is subject to the person completing 30 hours of continuing education. The bill further stipulates that of the 30 hours of continuing education, 24 hours must be in core topics, including any required continuing education for previous real estate license cycles and the current real estate license cycle in which the referral agent is seeking to change the license type back to broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson.
A licensed referral agent in this category who does not complete the required 30 hours of continuing education by the end of the license cycle in which the referral agent is seeking to change the license type back to broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson will lose the license and will be required to take the 75-hour prelicensure salesperson or referral agent course or 150-hour broker or broker-salesperson course and pass the broker license examination or the salesperson license examination, as applicable.
