occupational licensing

Licensing restrictions are housed in individual states' statutory or administrative laws. At first, these seemingly innocent laws appear to simply define what a specific occupation is and what a practitioner of the occupation may do as well as establish conditions for entry into an occupation. However, there is a sinister side to occupational licensing.
The birthplace of a person bears little to no relationship on that individual’s ability to dutifully carry out the requirements of various professional roles. Yet for years, many states have utilized citizen status as a barrier to keep individuals from obtaining state-mandated occupational licenses. 
Libertas has long documented the detrimental effects of occupational licensing. This form of government regulation stifles economies and creates a stringent, artificial class system via economic protectionism. Unfortunately, in conversations relating to reforming occupational licensing laws, many overlook solutions outside of simply slashing various licensing requirements.
Picture this. A young man falls into poverty and, out of desperation, resorts to petty theft in order to help feed his family. He gets caught and is sentenced to a few months in prison as punishment for committing a Class B misdemeanor.
In the US, the unacceptable reality for many professionals is that a trip to the therapist could put them out of a job.
Despite having a large medical infrastructure, Utah is struggling to meet the health care needs of its residents. Much of this inability can be attributed to a lack of healthcare workers able to provide patient care within the state. 

Help us Nail and Scale Policies to Reduce Government Control

Your tax-deductible contributions to Libertas Institute increase freedom across the country.