Congress moves on occupational licensing reform, but there’s more to do
The common refrain in Washington, D.C. and around the country is that Congress is incapable of getting anything done. But amidst the partisan squalor, Congress did something surprising, if relatively unnoticed, last week: it enacted occupational licensing legislation along bipartisan lines.
The House and Senate passed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. Among the bill’s myriad features was a version of the New Hope Act, legislation that would allow states to use federal education funds to identify and examine licenses or certifications that “pose an unwarranted barrier to entry into the workforce.” States could potentially use this money to, say, form a commission to study existing licensing requirements in the state and identify ones that should be eliminated or curtailed.
[Read the rest of the op-ed over at The Hill.]
Image credit: DW2630
