It seemed the Northeast Spa and Pool Association was one state closer to its goal of instituting licensing throughout its territory, but the clock ran out on the second attempt in New Jersey.
Assembly Bill 224 had been passed by both houses of the legislature and was awaiting a signature from the Garden State’s outgoing governor, Chris Christie. However, the January 16 deadline came and went without a signature, in a process called a pocket veto.
NESPA plans to resubmit the bill and has received commitments from the legislative sponsors to do so, said Lawrence Caniglia, NESPA’s outgoing executive director, who in February takes the helm of the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals. His outlook is positive: The legislative committees will retain the chairpersons who have supported the bill, and the group has put significant work into writing the language and is confident it will suit all stakeholders.
“So we don’t expect to have to do any negotiating this time around,” Caniglia said. “With a little luck and a favorable decision by our new governor [Democrat Phil Murphy], we could have this law finally on the books sometime later this year. NESPA and APSP don’t intend to let all the hard work of our volunteers to have been in vain.”
