News and Commentary
There’s nothing funny about occupational licensing, except for this Reason TV song parody by Remy.
Reason Foundation’s Adrian Moore criticizes Florida’s current occupational licensing regime, arguing that there is no increase in quality and that the barriers to entry created by licensing (particularly the fees) create a disincentive for would-be workers to enter into licensed professions.
Pennsylvania Representative Tom Mehaffie has proposed a bill to license behavior analysts, used to help treat addiction, PTSD, and other psychiatric conditions. Concerns about the quality of current behavior analysts aside, his op-ed makes a curious argument in favor of licensing. “Pennsylvania has a two-fold problem — a shortage of qualified providers and people claiming to use applied behavior analysis when they are not properly educated or trained.” (Emphasis added). Perhaps licensing will improve the quality of providers, but if the problem is a shortage, raising the barrier to entry for this profession will only make the problem worse.
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo has just signed a bill that would exempt African-style hair braiders from licensing requirements. The Washington Post article describes it as “deregulating,” a relatively loaded term that implies a complete lack of government oversight. While this is, strictly speaking, a reduction in the regulatory burden, the term “liberalize” is more accurate.
Maine’s LD 1746 is a modest but broad-based licensing reform that reduces the requirements for licensing in many professions, including the creation of an alternative licensing regime for electricians with 6,000 hours of journeyman training and the completion of an educational program in the field.
A Texas bill would allow advanced practice registered nurses with at least 2,080 hours of experience working under physician supervision would grant them the ability to practice independently.
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