Ahead of the upcoming state legislative session, Gov. Ned Lamont is seeking the elimination of licensure application fees required for workers to obtain certain jobs in the education, childcare, and health care fields.
Lamont seeks to drop the $200 initial application fee for educator certificates administered by the State Department of Education, the $40 application fee for home childcare licenses and the $15 initial application fee for staff administered by the Office of Early Childhood and three fees administered by the Department of Public Health: $180 initial application fee for registered nurse licenses, the $150 initial application fee for practical nurse licenses and the $200 initial application fee for advanced practice registered nurse licenses.
The governor said the elimination of these fees will encourage workers looking for employment to seek jobs in fields in which there is a significant need to fill available openings. The proposal will save these workers about $3.5 million annually, he added.
“Right now, there are many job openings in essential fields that employers need to fill, and by eliminating these licensure application fees we can help encourage those who are seeking employment to consider entering a career in these sectors,” Lamont said. “I am hopeful that legislators will agree and vote to approve these fee reductions.”
