S 1788 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Establishes fee refund program for individuals and businesses applying for permits, licenses, or certifications in New Jersey.*

S 1788 creates a refund program for businesses that pay application fees for state permits, licenses, or certifications when processing exceeds set time limits. State agencies must submit detailed catalogs of their permit types, fees, and current processing times to the Governor, who then sets recommended processing deadlines. If an agency fails to process a complete application within the recommended time, it must refund the fee (to the extent allowed by law), without affecting the application's outcome. This bill directly affects businesses applying for state permits and the agencies that issue them, aiming to reduce delays in administrative processes.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 16, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Reprint · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended after Senate Commerce Committee report to expand its scope from businesses only to include individuals, add a 15-day grace period before fee refunds are triggered, create an exemption for delays caused by applicant fault, and impose a 180-day deadline on the Governor's office to set recommended processing times. These changes make the refund program broader in who it covers but narrower in when refunds actually must be paid.

SCOPE

The fee refund program now applies to individuals as well as businesses applying for permits, licenses, or certifications, expanding who can benefit from the program.

REQUIREMENT

A 15-day grace period was added: State entities are only required to refund fees if they exceed the recommended processing time by more than 15 days, rather than immediately upon exceeding it.

ELIGIBILITY

A new exemption was created: no refund is required if the delay in processing is due to the fault of the applicant, including submission of an incomplete application.

TIMELINE

The Governor's office must now establish recommended application processing times no later than 180 days after the effective date of the act, creating a concrete deadline that was previously absent.

TECHNICAL

The reference to a companion pending bill (P.L. , c. ) was placed in brackets, indicating it is now treated as optional or contingent on separate enactment.

The explanatory statement section at the end of the bill was removed in the reprint version.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 16, 2026

Committee

Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Commerce Committee

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors