California Bill Would Require Occupational Licenses for Porn Actors, Strippers, Cam Girls
Adult performers are outraged at the proposed licensing requirements, and have vowed to fight the bill.
Occupational Licensing
Virginia Is About To Require a Government License for 'Art Therapy,' Because Glue and Scissors Are 'Potentially' Dangerous
The real motive for laws like this has nothing to do with scissors and glue. It's all about protectionism.
Undercover Cops Hired 118 Handymen, Then Arrested Them All for Not Having Licenses
Undercover sheriff's deputies posing as homeowners hired handymen to paint, install recessed lighting, or do other tasks that require licenses. Then they arrested them.
Occupational Licensing Hurts the Little Guy
People who want to work should be allowed to work.
Arizona Governor Wants To Put the Public in Charge of Licensing Boards
Right now, most licensing boards require that the majority of members be from the same licensed profession. It's not difficult to see how that leads to anti-competitive rules.
L.A. Is About to Screw Up Legal Street Vending the Same Way It Screwed Up Legal Pot Sales
High permit fees and unprepared bureaucrats get in the way of delicious street tacos and bacon dogs.
Free People Don't Ask the Government for Permission
"Liberty," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "is unobstructed action according to our will; but rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will, within the limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others."
States Are Easing Arbitrary Licensing Barriers to Work for People With Criminal Records
This year, Mississippi and North Carolina both ditched a vague "good moral character" clause that kept occupational licensing out of reach for people with criminal records.
Dental Hygienist Labeled 'Sexual Abuser' and Loses License for Treating His Wife
The case is a bizarre example of occupational licensing woes and backward regulations.
How Do You Lose Money Dealing Marijuana? Be a Government Agency.
Ontario has lost millions trying to sell cannabis.
ThinkProgress Panics Over Unlicensed Cosmetologists
Plus: dangerous publishers, a history of slavery, and more...
Occupational Licensing Is Keeping Americans Stuck in Place
Licensing reform efforts cross partisan barriers. Unfortunately, so do efforts to cripple opportunity and prosperity.
Occupational Licensing Stops Workers From Moving Across State Lines. Andrew Yang Wants To Fix That.
The Democratic presidential candidate is the latest example that occupational licensing is truly a bipartisan battle.
Judge Rules Florida Can Require a License To Give Out Diet Tips
No diploma, no making money telling people how to eat better.
Rhode Island Is the Latest State To Abolish Onerous Hair-Braiding Licensing
Previously, hair braiders were required to spend 1,500 hours taking cosmetology classes.
How to Make Bar Exams Great Again
Bar exams should be abolished. But if that's not feasible, this modest proposal for exam reform should help restore them to their former glory!
Pennsylvania Opens Up to Workers From Other States
Gov. Tom Wolf just signed a bill to recognize occupational licenses obtained in different parts of the country.
How Oppressive Will Connecticut's New Nail Salon Occupational Licensing Be? Stay Tuned.
To state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, “Raising women up” apparently means depriving them of employment opportunities.
New York Might License Elevator Mechanics to Solve a Public Safety Problem That Doesn't Exist
Those claiming that elevators are a public safety risk likely have ulterior motives.
Colorado's Jared Polis Is the Latest Governor to Embrace Licensing Reform
Polis vetoed licensing requirements for HOA managers, sports agents, and genetic counselors. That's not sitting well with some members of his own party.
The First Amendment Protects the Right to Work as a Tour Guide, Says Federal Judge
A Savannah, Georgia, law that required testing and licensing of tour guides is found unconstitutional.
Making It Easier for Military Spouses To Get Occupational Licenses Could Help All Workers
State-level licensing laws can make it nearly impossible for workers to move from place to place, and that's a particular problem for military spouses. This bipartisan proposal could be a step towards fixing it.
Oklahoma Just Passed A Major Licensing Reform for Individuals With Criminal Records
Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to sign a bill removing so-called "good character" provisions from all Oklahoma's occupational licensing laws.
N.Y. Food Police Shut Down a 7-Year-Old's Lemonade Stand. This Bill Makes Sure They Can't Do It Again.
"Kids like Brendan Mulvaney are trying to give people sweet lemonade and learn some important business skills but the overzealous state bureaucrats just keep giving taxpayers lemons."
Arizona Is Close to Abolishing an Absurd Licensing Law Requiring 1,000 Hours of Training to Blow-Dry Hair
Another victory for licensing reform in the Grand Canyon State.
Joe Biden Is Right: Occupational Licensing Laws for Hairdressers Are 'Not Helping Workers'
If anything, he's understating how ridiculous they are.
Arizona Will Be First State to Recognize Out-of-State Occupational Licenses
"Arizonans who have recently moved here will be able to put their skills to work faster and without all the red tape," says Gov. Doug Ducey.
Why Do You Need a License To Blow Dry Hair? Arizona Gov. Ducey Fights the 'Bullies' in His State
When "somebody packs up that moving van in Chicago, Illinois, they don't lose their skills on the way to the state of Arizona," says Gov. Doug Ducey.
RIP Economist Alan Krueger, Whose Work Spurred Calls for Occupational Licensing Reform
Krueger's work included highlighting the breadth of licensing in American labor markers, and the economic costs of mandatory government permission slips.
Licensing Reform Opponents Say Unlicensed Barbers Would Be as Dangerous as Unlicensed Chefs. Chefs Aren't Licensed.
Texas barbers and cosmetologists turn to fearmongering.
Bipartisan Bill Would Stop States From Denying Occupational Licenses Due to Student Loan Debt
New proposal from Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Elizabeth Warren would stop states from using the dumbest of all reasons to keep someone out of work.
Arizona Could Become the First State to Recognize Occupational Licenses From Other States
Licensing laws tend to lock workers in place, but Gov. Doug Ducey says it's time to stop that foolishness.
'Human Trafficking' Used as Excuse to Try to Destroy Nail Salon Jobs in Connecticut
Occupational licensing programs deprive people of livelihoods and often don't improve public health.
The 7 Most Insane Licensing Proposals of 2019 (So Far)
State lawmakers target pet groomers, drain cleaners, interior designers, pecan buyers, athletic trainers, antler dealers, and....art therapists?
Two Governors Kick Off 2019 With Big Occupational Licensing Reforms
A new law in Ohio and an executive order in Idaho require state lawmakers to take a more active role in overseeing occupational licensing boards.
Judge Confirms: Oregon Engineer Has a First Amendment Right to Call Himself an Engineer
Even if the Oregon Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying disagrees.
Rejoice, Angelenos! Your Bacon Dogs Will Soon Be Street Legal
After years of conflict and erratic enforcement, Los Angeles finally passes a formal plan to allow street vending.
There Are 200 California Inmates Fighting the Camp Fire. After Prison, They Likely Won't Be Allowed to Become Firefighters
California's licensing laws mean inmates can risk their lives for less than $2 per day, but can't earn a living after they get out of prison.
San Diego Police Creepily Forced Strippers to Pose for Photos. Now the City's Paying $1.5 Million.
A city ordinance let officers harass women as part of a licensing inspection process. A judge ruled it unconstitutional.
Texas Says 'Pickles' Only Come From Cucumbers. So This Couple's Farm Went Out of Business.
Anita and Jim McHaney are suing to overturn "preposterous" regulations on cottage food production.
Florida Lawmakers Deaf to the Needs of Hearing Aid Users
Florida says "hearing aid specialists" must pass multiple tests and be certified to conduct a full audiological exam, essentially quizzing them on skills and tech dating back to the 1950s.
