As the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed in 2015, there had been only eight successful attempts at de-licensing in the past 40 years. Last month I discussed four new ones.
This month? There are two more to report:
Arizona just joined Tennessee in passing a Right to Earn a Living Act, which
restricts Arizona’s regulatory boards from issuing regulations which “on their face or in their effect limit in the entry into a profession or trade,” unless they can be shown necessary to the health and safety of Arizonans.
Mississippi enacted House Bill 1425, which
offers a variety of alternative measures that protect the public from fraudulent or untrained practitioners without imposing high costs on qualified individuals. Market competition, third-party or consumer-created ratings systems like those available through apps such as Yelp, and private certifications are offered as potential solutions. If none of those work for a certain profession, the state can move along to mandatory inspections, impose bonding and insurance requirements, and even authorize the state attorney general to target frauds.
Only after all that has been tried, and failed, should a new licensing law be created.
