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.
Occupational Licensing
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.
Rolling Back Occupational Licensing
Republicans and Democrats are starting to agree occupational licensing has gone too far
No Street History in Charleston Without a License
Charleston law requires tour guides to pass a test and get licensed
Uber Seems to Be More Efficient Than Taxis in Time Spent Ferrying Passengers
Economists find more social benefits from ridehailing apps.
Wisconsin City Finds New Way to Punish Sex Workers and Their Clients
Anyone advertising as an escort without a license or attempting to hire an unlicensed escort could be charged $5,000.
California's Bipartisan Push Against Occupational Licensing
Removing barriers to entrepreneurship for the poor.
Beauty School Syllabus Now Includes Human-Trafficking Awareness Training
In Ohio, learning to spot the "signs" of human trafficking is now a requirement for cosmetology licenses.
Zoning and Zen
How regulations and charges of "cultural appropriation" destroyed a widow's small business dream
'Stalemate' Over Porn Condom Law in Los Angeles
But with the L.A. law unenforceable, anti-porn activists are pushing work-safety inspectors to punish film companies and gearing up for a state ballot fight.
Asian Girl Band Detained at LAX Because Officials Think They Must Be Sex Workers
Members of the South Korean pop group "Oh My Girl" fall victim to U.S. sex-trafficking hysteria.
Donate to Reason! Because Judges Cite Our Work When Telling Government to Back the Hell Off
Your tax-deductible donations helped produce a legal free-speech victory just this week
SCOTUS Asked to Decide Whether Special-Interest 'Economic Favoritism' Counts as Legitimate Government Interest
Connecticut teeth-whitening monopoly lands at Supreme Court.
Judge Blocks Kentucky's Absurd Attempt to Censor 'Unlicensed' Advice Columnist
No, you don't have to have the state's approval to tell families how to solve problems.
Maryland Governor Plans Reduction in Loads of Licensing Fees
Some see drops; others eliminated entirely.
New York City Freaking Out Over Topless Women in Times Square
Puritan urges in a progressive city.
Safeguards for Economic Liberty 'Spook the American Left'
Liberal hysterics in defense of occupational licensing and property seizures.
Can Even the President Reverse the Destructive Trend Toward Occupational Licensing?
Restrictions on entering trades and professions are so bad that even the White House acknowledges the damage they do.
3 Ways Congress Can Protect Economic Liberty and Curtail Occupational Licensing Abuse
Protecting economic liberty from state infringement.
Occupational Licensing Hurts Just About Everyone, Says White House
Licensing restrictions cost millions of American jobs and raise consumer costs by billions, federal officials say.
New Jersey Needs to End Its Anti-Prosperity Crusade Against Unlicensed Movers
A man, a van, a government plan
Federal Court Allows State Government to Practice 'Naked Economic Protectionism'
Occupational licensing scheme upheld in Sensational Smiles, LLC v. Mullen.
How Liquor Licenses Sparked the Stonewall Riots
Gay bars were crucial in the fight for equal rights, which is why they kept getting shut down by the government.
Nevada Ends Weird Requirement Demanding Licenses Just to 'Furnish Information'
Attempt to regulate private detectives ends up in an odd place.
Oh, No—These Teachers Aren't Licensed! Wait, Are They Any Good?
Whether students are actually learning doesn't seem to factor in.
Oklahoma Governor Signs Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Reform Bill
Gives judges more leeway for alternatives in some situations.
A Strike Against State Regulation of Yoga Teachers in Colorado
Bill would exempt yoga teacher training schools from costly state certification
