Occupational Licensing
The Scoop on 'Frozen Dessert' Licenses
You got a permit for that ice cream machine?
After Challenging Red Light Cameras, Oregon Man Fined $500 for Practicing Engineering Without a License
"Anyone should be allowed to talk about the traffic signals without being penalized," says Mats Järlström. He's suing the board.
Tennessee Reins In Horse Massage Licensing Laws
Bill approved without a single "neigh," but lawmakers call "woah" on full repeal and plan to trot out new rules next year.
Maryland Decriminalizes Unlicensed Barbering; Jacks Up Fines for Unlicensed Barbering
The state won't throw people in jail for cutting hair without a state-issued permission slip, but it's only a marginal step forward.
Idaho Governor Flips Off Libertarians With Both Hands, Vetoes Asset Forfeiture AND Licensing Reforms
Is he trying to make libertarians angry, or is he just a puppet of special interests?
Arizona's Governor to Licensing Boards: What Is It That You Do?
More than two dozen licensing boards have until June to give him an answer.
A Baby Dies in Virginia
The lethal consequences of a common, obscure hospital licensing law
D.C. Implements Oppressive Licensing for Child Care Workers at Behest of Early Education Advocates
Don't have at least an associate's degree? Step away from the finger paints, you monster.
This Mississippi Bill Could Be the Beginning of the End of Occupational Licensing Cartels
New measure would give executive branch officials greater oversight over licensing laws, preventing boards from creating unaccountable, anti-competitive rules.
Occupational Licensing Reform Gains an Unlikely Boost from the FTC
In the fight for economic freedom, entrepreneurs and consumers get new support against self-serving interests.
Why Occupational Licensing is a Due Process Issue
GMU law scholar David Bernstein on how liberal and conservative judges can find common ground by embracing the right to pursue work.
New FTC Task Force Will Put Licensing Boards On Notice
Building on a key victory at the Supreme Court in 2015, the FTC plans to target anti-competitive state-level licensing laws.
Two Women Challenge Tennessee's Horse Massage Licensing Law in Court
Laurie Wheeler and Martha Stowe were threatened with fines and jail time if they didn't get an expensive, unnecessary license.
What Do You Call a Tool to Help Uber Avoid Gov't Stings? A Good Start.
Company used a secret method of getting around regulators trying to shut them down. If only the rest of us were so lucky.
How Two Florida Hospitals Used the Power of the State to Stop Another From Being Built
New report from Watchdog reveals how Florida's Certificate of Necessity laws limit competition and access to care.
Absurd State Licensing Rules Could Send a Woman To Jail Just for Touching a Horse
Of course. State board says she has to go to veterinary school to learn something she already knows and the schools don't teach.
Cosmetology Board's Investigation of Free, Unlicensed Haircuts Is 'Outrageous,' Governor Says
"I find this outrageous, and I call on you to end your investigation," wrote Gov. Doug Ducey to the haircut police at the Arizona Board of Cosmetology.
Cosmetology Board Investigates Student for Giving Free Haircuts to Homeless People
Juan Carlos Montesdeoca thought he was doing an act of charity, but in the eyes of the State Board of Cosmetology, he was putting people in "real risk."
Horse Masseuses on the Loose: Three Women Take Down Arizona's Anticompetitive Animal Massage Law
Arizona licensing board finally backs down from an expensive, unnecessary mandate that nearly forced three women to give up their careers as animal masseuses.
Why Aren't More Americans Moving?
People used to chase economic opportunity across the country. Then the government got in the way.
More Americans Are Stuck In Place: New at Reason
Unintended consequences of local and state policies are a huge barrier to mobility.
Hundreds of Known 'Bad Cops' Are Still on the Job, According to New Report
Almost 10 percent of police officers charged with crimes are still working in law enforcement, new report from Wall Street Journal finds.
An Omaha Woman Took Her Business to Iowa Because of Nebraska's Licensing Laws
Unwilling to spend the money for a massage therapist license in Nebraska, Ilona Holland took her business across the bridge to Iowa.
Licensing Isn't Necessary To Protect People From Incompetent, Untrained, or Fraudulent Professionals
Sign language interpreters say licensing is needed to protect deaf people from scammers, but there's no evidence of a market failure.
Sign Language Interpreter Licenses and Wisconsin's Other Costly, Pointless Permission Slips
Wisconsin Republicans pledge to reform occupational licensing, which hits residents of the state with nearly $2 billion annually in hidden costs.
Newark Considers Crackdown on Giving Food to the Homeless
Not fair to homeless that their food isn't "scrutinized," one councilman explained.
Points For Honesty: Pool Contractors Want to be Licensed so They Can Charge Higher Prices
This is how regulatory capture works: Trade association would get majority control of new licensing board.
The System is Rigged: Licensing Limits the Pursuit of Happiness
Onerous licensing laws make it harder for people to move from place to place. And less residential mobility means less economic mobility.
Tennessee Cosmetology Board Admits it Doesn't Have Authority To Regulate Tech Companies
Board backs down from "unlawful" and "overzealous" effort to shut down Nashville-based company that connects beauticians with customers.
Tennessee's Cosmetology Board Thinks It Can Regulate a Software Company
Project Belle connects customers with licensed cosmetologists. Competitors have asked state regulators to shut it down.
Clinton Suggests Paying States and Cities to Fix Bad Licensing Laws
What Hillary Clinton gets right (and what she gets wrong) about occupational licensing and the need for reform
Federal Judge Upholds Ban on Unlicensed African Hair-Braiding, Says Courts Must Show 'Great Deference' to Government Regulations
"This case illustrates the great deference that federal courts must show to government regulations," claims judge.
Local Government Told Girl She Needed $3,500 for Lemonade Stand Permit. The Internet Helped Her Get It
Her story has a happy ending, but the regulations that nearly shut down her lemonade stand have serious consequences for other businesses.
How Reforming Licensing Laws Can Help Fix America's Dentist Shortage
More states should follow Minnesota's lead by legalizing mid-level dental professionals.
D.C. Gov Goes After a Piece of Pub-Crawl Profits
You have a permit for that pub crawl, drunk Santa?
Licensing Rules Hold Back Hair Braiders and the Economy
Sixteen states require hair braiders to get cosmetology licenses, which cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and require at least 1,000 hours of training.
Do You Have a License to Braid That Hair?
Unnecessary state regulations add costly burdens with no real safety benefits.
Louisiana's Licensing Laws Nearly Destroyed This Woman's Eyebrow Threading Business. Now She's Fighting Back.
State requires 750 hours of classes on unrelated skills.
To Speed Economic Recovery, Release the Brakes
Government gets in the way of healthy economic activity.
Occupational Licensing Reform Becomes a Cause Both Republicans and Democrats Can Love
Nobody should need permission to make a living-especially when requiring that permission just lines the pockets of a favored few.
Entrepreneurial Spirit Has Abandoned Non-Urban America: Bug or Feature?
Imagine what will happen to flyover country under even more wage regulations.
You're Now Free to Have a Hippie, Crunchy Funeral in Alabama
New law ends occupational license-mandated monopoly on casket sales.
300 Hours Training Required to Shampoo Hair In Tennessee
Three-hundred hours of classes "on the theory and practice of shampooing?" And that's just the start....
Millennials Hurt By Occupational Licensing Laws
Young people entering the workforce without a degree or a "rent-seeking" license face low wages, if they can even find a job.
