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Congress takes on the occupational licensing cartels

Source: ocregister.com/2017/10/05/congress-takes-on-the-occupational-licensing-cartels/ - Nov 1, 2017

It’s a government policy that affects more Americans than unions and the minimum wage combined. Today, a staggering one out of every four American workers needs either an occupational license or certificate to do their jobs — a fivefold increase from the 1950s. According to one estimate, this dramatic surge in licensing costs Americans over $200 billion each year in higher prices as well as “up to 2.85 million fewer jobs nationwide.”

Fortunately, lawmakers are finally starting to address this massive obstacle to a flourishing labor market. Last week, 11 states announced that they will participate in an occupational licensing consortium on how to best remove barriers to entry. That announcement followed a congressional subcommittee hearing that discussed the nation’s deeply anticompetitive licensing boards.

Across the country, there are nearly 1,800 state licensing boards, regulating those who work as doctors and dentists as well as hair braiders, makeup artists and interior designers. In Louisiana, the Horticulture Commission even licenses roughly 2,000 florists throughout the state.

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Category: General Business