Media Advisory: Job Licensing Reform Hearings to Begin
MEDIA ADVISORY from the Platte Institute
Contact: Adam Weinberg
(402) 452-3737
aweinberg@platteinstitute.org
TODAY: Hearings for Occupational Licensing Reform Bills Begin
Repeal of 3 Outdated or Duplicative Licenses Considered Today
WHO & WHAT: Nicole Fox, Director of Government Relations for the Platte Institute, will testify in support of Legislative Bills 346, 347, and 348. The bills eliminate outdated or duplicative licensing requirements on motor vehicle salespeople, school bus drivers, and potato shippers. Policy summaries for each bill are included in the previous links.
WHEN & WHERE: Today, Tuesday, January 31, 2017. LB346 and LB347 will be heard before the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee in State Capitol room 1113. LB348 will be heard before the Agriculture Committee in room 2102. Both hearings begin at 1:30 p.m. A link to the agendas for each hearing may be found here.
WHY: Nearly 200 different occupations in Nebraska require a government license, adding barriers to jobs and entrepreneurship for nearly 1 in 4 members of the state’s workforce. While some licensing requirements make sense for protecting health and safety, over the years, many licensing requirements that have remained on the books no longer align with these public interests, or have become more burdensome than other states. Occupational licensing reform aims to remove barriers to growing new businesses and job opportunities in Nebraska and reduce the hidden taxes Nebraska’s most burdensome and unnecessary licensing requirements impose on the marketplace.
Three questions the Platte Institute asks when evaluating Nebraska’s licensing requirements include:
1) Is the licensing requirement more burdensome than requirements in Nebraska’s most reasonable neighboring states or the country at large?
2) Does the licensing requirement create reciprocity issues for qualified workers seeking to locate or operate in Nebraska?
3) Has the state considered less-burdensome regulatory or marketplace alternatives to occupational licensure?
DETAILS: The text of testimonies for LB346, 347, and 348 can be viewed at each link on the Platte Institute website. For more information about Occupational Licensing Reform and the legislation being considered this session, visit PlatteInstitute.org/Jobs. To arrange an interview, please contact Adam Weinberg at (402) 452-3737 or at aweinberg@platteinstitute.org.
The Platte Institute advances policies that remove barriers to growth and opportunity in Nebraska.