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Relating to state occupational licensing of certain military
service members, military veterans, and military spouses.
No fiscal impact to the state is anticipated.
HB 4413 would allow the commissioner of education to adopt rules establishing exceptions to examination requirements to obtain educator certification in Texas for an educator who is a military service member, military veteran, or military spouse. This bill would also require the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) to conduct a study to: (1) identify the occupational licenses for which a significant number of military service members, military veterans, or spouses submit applications to licensing authorities in Texas; and (2) examine the occupational licensing requirements of each identified licensing authority and identify opportunities for licensing authorities to accept substantially equivalent licensing requirements and issue temporary licenses.
Texas Action is neutral on HB 4413 because it contains conflicting liberty principles. While this bill is a step in the right direction for reducing barriers to entry for certain professions, a more limited government approach would be to offer full reciprocity for all occupational licensure, as well as apply reciprocity to all prospective residents (not just military service members, military veterans, and spouses).
Texas, currently ranked 21st nationwide in most burdensome licensing requirements, should not disincentivize productive license holders from moving here. Keeping out-of-state individuals from moving to Texas constricts labor supply and artificially increases wages, which in turn increases the cost of goods and services. We urge the legislature to take meaningful steps in reducing the hardship of occupational licensing requirements for everyone, not only for preferred classes of people.
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