News and Commentary
Writing in opposition of universal licensing recognition is Marta Zaniewski. She makes the basic point that universal licensing recognition may lead to problems (citing the Texas power failures, which had absolutely nothing to do with licensing) when the standard for becoming licensed are not universal. This of course assumes that the strictest licensing standards are the best.
Maine has approved an act which would allow for members of the military and their spouses to apply for temporary licensure status while completing in-state licensing requirements if they are licensed in another state.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has submitted legislation, “Act Relative to Licensing Accountability in the Commonwealth” to overhaul Commonwealth’s licensing system by transferring 13 licensing boards to the Department of Public Health. Such a move would give the state itself greater authority to discipline and supervise license holders.
Yesim Sayin Taylor of the DC Policy Center testified before the Washington, DC Committee on Business and Economic Development about the District’s tax policy through a lens of racial equality. She also mentioned the need to remove other burdens to racial equality, such as burdensome licensing requirements.
Josh Skluzacek writes about a new report from the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor discussing the excessive burdens associated with the State’s cosmetology licensing system. While licensees were generally satisfied with the system, some noted difficulty in getting technical questions answered along with the strange bifurcation between barber and cosmetology licensing–despite them preforming similar services.
New Research
A new paper by Daniel Greenberg discusses justĀ how much of a personal appearance professional’s licensing education (cosmetologist, barber, etc.) is dedicated to safety education. While “safety” is the go-to justification for occupational licensing, he finds that far less than half of their curriculum is dedicated to safety, making the rest of their curriculum a drag on overall growth and welfare.