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Conor Norris and Edward Timmons
Guest columnists
Oklahoma has joined a growing number of states making it easier for licensed professionals to move and start working. Universal recognition of out-of-state licenses reduces the hassle for people that want to make Oklahoma their new home.
House Bill 2873 was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt and will take effect in November. The law makes it easier for professionals to move to Oklahoma by removing one key hurdle obtaining a new license. Moving to a new state can be a long, expensive process. For professionals who need a license to work, being forced to jump through hoops to continue working adds to the cost.
The economic argument for licensing is consumers’ difficulty verifying expertise.
Occupational licensing involves government-imposed requirements for practitioners in different professions, or what critics call government permission slips to work. Despite a lack of evidence of benefits to consumers, licensing has been proliferating across Alabama and America, with the percentage of workers covered rising from 5 to over 20 percent.
A new report from the Alabama Policy Institute and the Archbridge Institute offers some potential reforms.
Not-So Sweet Home Alabama: How Licensing Holds Back the Yellowhammer State is written by Dr. Edward Timmons and Conor Norris of Saint Francis University. Dr. Timmons has extensively researched licensing, including a 2019 case study of Alabama barbers.