HB 280: Occupational Licensure Review

This bill was not heard in the House or Senate.

A national report of occupational licensure recently found that Utah has the 13th most burdensome occupational licensure laws. We have invited Utahns to rethink occupational licensure laws.

Representative Norm Thurston is sponsoring House Bill 280 to require certain state agencies to produce a one-time report that details the following information:

• a list of each occupational or professional license or certification administered by the agency;
• the number of active licenses or certifications issued by the agency;
• a complete citation of each state statute, administrative rule, and agency policy that apply to the occupational or professional license or certification administered by the agency;
• an analysis of whether each statutory provision, administrative rule, and agency policy is necessary to protect the health and safety of the public;
• an analysis of whether less restrictive regulation of the occupation or profession would still protect the health and safety of the public; and
• a recommendation to the committee regarding which statutory language, administrative rules, or agency policies could be repealed or modified to be less restrictive while still adequately protecting the health and safety of the public.

The report is to be completed by July 1, 2019. This information, if honestly and completely provided by each agency, can help the Legislature identify and resolve issues where licensure laws are overly burdensome.