Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Negative |
We oppose sunset bills which add new, onerous requirements
to licensed professions (such as mandatory fingerprinting and background checks) without at a minimum offsetting the new requirements with counterbalancing repeal
of other requirements. Some ways to provide a counterbalance include
significant reduction or revocation of fees, reduction in required continuing
education, reduction of the number of hours of required training to obtain a
license, or increasing the length of time a license is valid before it must be renewed.
SB 302 adds new requirements for members of the state bar to
submit to fingerprinting and background checks. There are no counterbalancing
provisions in the bill to repeal or significantly reduce other licensure
requirements, therefore for we oppose SB 302 as a net growth in government
mandates on members of the state bar.
For a fuller exposition of our views regarding occupational
licensure, click here.
For further reading on this issue we recommend a couple excellent resources:
The Institute for Justice has done yeoman’s work in
researching the pervasiveness of the licensing problem. Their 2012 national
study, License To Work, which
gives an in-depth report on the status of licensure in every state, should be
required reading for policymakers working on licensure issues.
Guild-Ridden Labor Markets: The Curious Case of
Occupational Licensing by Morris M. Kleiner, which describes in
easily readable language the history of occupational licensing in the United
States, demonstrates the clear connection between licensure and industry
protection.