Licensure or License? : Prospects for Occupational Deregulation

Occupational licensing in the US has grown rapidly in recent decades. Over most of this period, there has been little concern over, and scant legislative attention directed to, this phenomenon. Recently, however, concerns have arisen about the extent, the costs, and the job-destroying nature associated with the licensing of many occupations. Since 2011 twelve states have formulated legislative proposals dealing with occupational deregulation. Do these twelve state attempts share any common characteristics? We find that such initiatives have tended so far to arise in states with Republican majorities in the state House or Senate, as well as in states with lower percentages of minority populations and of low-income occupations that are currently licensed. Even so, these attempts have so far failed to result in many occupations being deregulated