Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2018

News Magazine June 2018

Summary of the Occupation De-Licensing Groups in Arkansas The history of the effort to eliminate or reduce occupational licensing in Arkansas began at least in the 2015 legislative session and was repeated in the 2017 legislative session with Representative Richard Womack leading the way with HB1551. The bill was formed from a template prepared by the Institute for Justice with changes / exclusions to accommodate some political interests in Arkansas. The bill failed in the House Public Health and Welfare Committee by one vote. HB1551 supporters presented the bill as a way to provide opportunities for the poor, previously incarcerated, migrants, military personnel and their spouses. Those opposed felt that it would reduce the regulation needed to protect the health and safety of the public. The opposition to HB1551 stated that there was no lack of opportunity for employment and that the bill would only create new companies owned and operated by persons without sufficient training and knowledge of their craft . The effort gained significant strength and credibility when, in December 2017, the National Conference of State Legislators sponsored the 2017 Multi-State Learning Consortium Meeting in Tucson on Dec. 4-6, 2017. It was funded by a 7.5 million dollar grant from the US Department of Labor. Eleven states, including Arkansas, were chosen to participate in the Occupational Licensing Policy Learning Consortium which has been funded by the US Department of Labor with an additional 7.5 million dollar grant . Project goals and time table can be found at Occupational Licensing ASSESSING STATE POLICY AND PRACTICE . One thing that most parties state when discussing the elimination of licensing is similar to Governor Hutchinson’s comments. “I want to do everything reasonable to help all Arkansans have the opportunity to pursue an occupation or start a business,”…”In some occupations, testing and a license are necessary for the safety of consumers.” Many use the phrase “unnecessary or overly burdensome licensing” as their focus for reform. The question is, “What is unnecessary—What is overly burdensome?” NCSL’s, Nation Conference of State Legislatures, 25 page report entitled, “The State of Occupational Licensing Research, State Policies and Trends,” stated on page 3, “When designed and implemented carefully, licensing can benefit consumers through higher quality services and improved health and safety standards…,” according to the 2015 “Occupational Licensing: Framework for Policymakers” report from the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers and departments of Labor and Treasury. However, they want on to say, “… current licensure rules impose burdens on workers, employers and consumers, and “too often are inconsistent, inefficient, and arbitrary.” So again, the question is, “What is unnecessary and what is burdensome.” I suggest that you read the February Issue of the Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine article, “When Does Health and Safety Take Precedent?” It presents the need for licensing in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration industry. It also states that the HVACR industry agrees that there may well be some licenses and regulations that need to be reevaluated. On the other hand, it is imperative that any reevaluation be objective and therefore a matrix needs to be established to grade the need or lack thereof. We find ourselves in a rush, a group think that fills the political