occupational licensing

Occupational licensure is something that presents a barrier to entry for many professions. Those barriers fall hardest at the feet of minority citizens in America. Take the history of licensure for just one profession: barbers. JLF’s Jon Sanders quotes Timothy J. Sandefur on the subject in his recent…

A bill that has been making its way through the N.C. House would make it easier for veterans and military spouses to gain employment in North Carolina. Carolina Journal’s Julie Havlak reports: The House Judiciary Committee approved House Bill 1053 on Thursday, June 4, and…

On June 2, NC State University’s Institute for Emerging Issues published an episode of their podcast, “First in Future,” with JLF’s Jordan Roberts as a guest. Roberts and podcast host Leslie Boney discussed Roberts’ recent paper on telemedicine in collaboration with the Brookings Institution. https://lockerroom.johnlocke.org/app/uploads/2020/06/Podcast-Jordan-Roberts-5_29_20-4.00-PM.mp3 Roberts’ paper addresses…

In case you missed it during this busy week, a bill was introduced in the North Carolina Senate to create a system of universal licensure recognition in North Carolina. In a research brief this week, my colleague Jon Sanders wrote about the components of the bill. Sanders writes,…

Thousands of Americans move to North Carolina each year. Many of those new residents hold an occupational license in their former state of residence. However, as of present, those working professionals would not be authorized to do their job in North Carolina unless they obtain state-specific licensure. In a recent…

Senate Bill 773 would bring universal license recognition to NC. Universal license recognition is one of the five reforms in the John Locke Foundation’s package of recommendations for streamlining occupational regulation to get North Carolinians back to work.

North Carolina requires a license from the government to be employed in countless professions. Everything from being a taxidermist to a barber requires a license from the state. As JLF’s Jon Sanders writes: In the best of times, occupational licensing was a notorious public-choice problem. However, right now we are…

The report makes it crystal clear that occupational licensing is an extreme regulation for only the most extreme risks. It's for protecting public safety.