A 4947 — Revises continuing education requirements for real estate licensees and regulation of certain real estate continuing education providers, instructors, and courses.

A4947 1R [First Reprint] ASSEMBLY, No.

MILLER District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)  Assemblyman  Co-SponsoredMICHAEL by:INGANAMORT District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren) Senator  JOSEPH A.

AssemblymanLAGANA ScharfenbergerDistrict  38  (Bergen)  Senator   CARMEN SYNOPSISF.      Revises continuing education requirements for real estate licensees and regulation of certain real estate continuing education providers, instructors, and courses.

 AMATO, CURRENTJR. VERSION OF TEXT      As introduced.

  District An9 Act(Ocean) concerning  continuingCo-Sponsored educationby: for real estate licensees, amending various parts of the statutory law, and supplementing chapter 15 of Title of the New Jersey Statutes.

Assemblyman Scharfenberger, Assemblywoman Carter, Assemblyman Freiman and Senator Space         SYNOPSIS      Revises continuing education requirements for real estate licensees and regulation of certain real estate continuing education providers, instructors, and courses.

  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      As reported by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on June 8, 2026, with amendments.

   An Act concerning continuing education for real estate licensees 1[,] and1 amending various parts of the statutory law 1[, and supplementing chapter 15 of Title 45 of the New Jersey Statutes]1.

     c.    c.    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.

     e.    e.    In the event that any person to whom a salesperson's license, including a salesperson's license with a real estate referral company, 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 applicant, including a salesperson applicant licensed with a real estate referral company, 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 applicants, including salesperson applicants licensed with a real estate referral company, so approved shall pass the salesperson's license examination and [, with respect to salespersons, except those salespersons licensed with a real estate referral company,] complete the continuing education requirements applicable to salesperson licensees or salespersons licensed with a real estate referral company in the preceding licensure term prior to being relicensed.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a salesperson licensed with a real estate referral company to complete the continuing education requirements applicable to salesperson licensees as a condition of license renewal under this section or section 23 of P.L.2009, c.238 (C.45:15-16.2a).  This subsection shall not apply to a person reapplying for a salesperson's license, including a salesperson reapplying for licensure with a real estate referral company, who was a licensed salesperson, including a salesperson licensed with a real estate referral company, 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.

P.L.2018, c.71, s.4)        2.   1[2. Section 51 of P.L.1993, c.51 (C.45:15-10.8) is amended to read as follows:

Section 51 of P.L.1993, c.51 (C.45:15-10.8) is amended to read as follows:

P.L.1993, c.51, s.51)s.51)]1        3.   1[3.] Section2.1     23Section of P.L.2009, c.238 (C.45:15-16.2a) is amended to read as follows:

     2323. a.

a.

     (1) (a) Approve continuing education courses, course providers, and instructors recommended to the commission by the Volunteer Advisory Committee created pursuant to subparagraph (b) of this paragraph.  1The commission shall approve or deny a continuing education course, course provider, or course instructor application recommended for approval by the committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the commission following receipt of the recommended application.  If the commission is not scheduled to meet within 30 days of receipt of a recommended application, the commission shall designate personnel assigned to the commission pursuant to R.S.45:15-7 to approve or deny the recommended application.1 Schools licensed by the commission as real estate schools pursuant to section 47 of P.L.1993, c.51 (C.45:15-10.4) shall be deemed approved providers of continuing education courses.  Persons licensed by the commission as real estate instructors pursuant to section 48 of P.L.1993, c.51 (C.45:15-10.5) shall be deemed approved instructors of continuing education courses in [core] topics as set forth in section 27 of P.L.2009, c.238 (C.45:15-16.2e).  Real estate trade associations that qualify under the standards to be established by commission rule as approved providers may offer approved continuing education courses.

     (b)  (b)  There is hereby created a Volunteer Advisory Committee which shall consist of 14 members to be comprised of real estate licensees, approved instructors of continuing education courses, and other subject matter experts, whose members shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance.  One real estate licensee shall be selected upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate and one real estate licensee shall be selected upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly.  Three members of the advisory committee shall be members of the commission or their designees, and not less than eight of the members, other than the commission members, shall be real estate licensees.  Members shall be appointed to effect balanced geographic representation from the central, northern and southern areas of the State, with not less than three members serving from each of these areas at any time on the advisory committee.  A member of the advisory committee approved by the commission as an instructor of continuing education courses shall not approve their own continuing education course application.

     (2)  (2)  Confer continuing education credits for courses completed in other states on topics approved by the commission [as appropriate for elective courses], provided that such courses have been approved as continuing education courses by the agency exercising regulatory authority over the real estate licensees of another state and that satisfactory evidence of licensees' attendance at and completion of such courses is provided to the commission by the course provider.

     (3)  (3)  Confer continuing education credits for courses completed and offered in this State on topics deemed of a timely nature which have not been granted prior approval by the advisory committee, provided that such courses are advertised prior to the time of offering as not having been approved;

     (4)  (4)  Set parameters for the auditing and monitoring of course providers,providers1[, including providers authorized to approve their own continuing education instructors and courses pursuant to section 28 of P.L.2009, c.238 (C.45:15-16.2f).(C.45:15-16.2f)]1.

     (5)  (5)  Establish, by regulation, the amounts of application fees payable by persons seeking approval as continuing education course providers, persons seeking approval of continuing education courses, and persons other than instructors of pre-licensure real estate education courses licensed by the commission pursuant to section 48 of P.L.1993, c.51 (C.45:15-10.5), seeking approval as instructors of continuing education courses.  These fees shall be non-refundable and shall be in amounts which do not exceed the costs incurred by the commission to review these applications.

     (6)  (6)  Have the authority to waive continuing education requirements, in whole or in part, on the grounds of illness, emergency, hardship or active duty military service.

     (7)  (7)  Confer continuing education credits upon a person who is licensed by the commission as a real estate instructor or as a broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson for teaching an approved continuing education course offered by an approved provider.  Regardless of the number of times during a biennial license term that the same approved course is taught by that person, the person shall receive credit toward the continuing education requirement for the renewal of the person's broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson license, as applicable, only in the number of credit hours conferred upon licensees who attend and complete that course one time during that biennial license term.

     (9)  (9)  Approve continuing education instructors who meet at least one of the following:

     (b)  (b)  a specialist with a college degree or experience teaching one or more subjects in a topic noted in the individual’s application for approval;

     (d)  (d)  a real estate instructor licensed or otherwise authorized in another state who can demonstrate proof of expertise in the subject matter proposed for instruction;

     1(10) Investigate a continuing education course, course provider, or course instructor suspected to be in violation of the provisions of this section.  The commission may place on probation, suspend, or revoke the approval of a course, course provider, or course instructor found by the commission to be in violation of the provisions of this section or may, as an alternative to that probation, suspension, or revocation, impose on a course provider or course instructor a penalty of not more than $5,000 for the first violation, and a penalty of not more than $10,000 for any subsequent violation, which penalty shall be sued for and recovered by and in the name of the commission and shall be collected and enforced by summary proceedings pursuant to the “Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999,” P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).1 (cf:

P.L.2018, c.71, s.13)        4.   1[4.] Section3.1  24Section of P.L.2009, c.238 (C.45:15-16.2b) is amended to read as follows:

P.L.2018, c.71, s.14)        5.   1[5.] Section4.1  27Section of P.L.2009, c.238 (C.45:15-16.2e) is amended to read as follows:

     (1)  (1)  [Agency] two hours in Fair Housing;

     (2)  (2)  [Disclosure] three hours in Ethics;

     (3)  (3)  [Legal issues] two hours in Current Issues and Legal Updates;

     (4)  (4)  [Ethics, which shall not be less than two hours] two hours in Agency;

     (5)  (5)  [Fair housing] one hour in Real Estate Licensee Safety;;

     (6)  (6)  [Rules and regulations] two hours in Fiduciary Responsibility;

     (7)  (7)  [Real estate licensee safety] two hours in Broker Supervision;

and      (8)  (8)  [Financial literacy and planning;

     (9)  (9)  [Any other core topics that the New Jersey Real Estate Commission may prescribe by rule.] (Deleted by amendment, P.L.    , c.    ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)      [In no event shall the commission require that courses in these core topics comprise more than 60 percent of the total continuing education hours required for the renewal of any license.]      b.    [In the case of continuing education courses and programs, each hour of instruction shall be equivalent to one credit.]  (Deleted by amendment, P.L.    , c.    ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)      c.    c.    [Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection a.

of this section, the commission shall require that a continuing education course on agency be completed by a broker, broker-salesperson, and salesperson as a condition for license renewal during each biennial license term.] (Deleted by amendment, P.L.    , c.    ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)      e.    e.    Not less than 10 of the 18 hours of continuing education that a salesperson is required to complete as a condition for license renewal shall be comprised of the following topics, except that a salesperson shall complete at least two hours of continuing education in one or more of the following topics, excluding Real Estate Licensee Safety, in an in-person classroom setting or through a live webinar:

     (1)  (1)  two hours in Fair Housing;