An occupational licensing reform we’ve covered in the past, SB 255, which would liberalize of Ohio’s occupational licensing laws, now heads to governor John Kasich’s desk. The bill would:
[E]stablish a statewide policy on occupational regulation, to allow an individual who has been convicted of a criminal offense to request a licensing authority to determine whether the individual is disqualified from receiving or holding a professional license based on conviction, to require standing committees of the General Assembly to periodically review occupational licensing boards regarding their sunset, to require the Legislative Service Commission to issue reports of occupational licensing bills and state regulation of occupations, to require the licensure of home inspectors, to create the Ohio Home Inspector Board to regulate the licensure and performance of home inspectors, to require realtors who recommend home inspectors to provide a list of home inspectors, and to regulate the practice of makeup artistry.
The first provision, though not undoing restrictions on receiving a license based on a criminal conviction, would nonetheless save ex-cons the time and money associated with getting a license if they determine up-front that their conviction prevents them from entering the occupation of their choosing.
The second bundle is the most exciting part, and is similar to Nebraska’s recently passed reform. Though it does nothing to delicense a profession directly, the periodic review puts licensing’s proponents on the defensive, forcing them to justify their favored regressive regulation over some less-restrictive alternative on a regular basis.
The final provision would license home inspectors, and creates updated regulations for makeup artists (though the law creates a number of relatively easy requirements for which “[t]he state cosmetology and barber board shall issue a boutique services registration to an applicant.”
This final provision makes it a less-than-perfect reform, but SB 255 is nonetheless a step in the right direction for the Buckeye State.
Loading...