Missouri served up a big win for its workforce this week, adopting new measures that eliminate or reduce government barriers to those seeking work in licensed professions.
On Monday, Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, signed legislation expanding the list of licensed workers eligible for reciprocity with other states to include public school teachers, nurses, pharmacists, and veterinarians, among several others.
The bill also overturns state residency requirements, allowing those living out-of-state to apply for licensure by reciprocity, so long the applicant has had a license for at least one year in another state. It also removes provisions conditioning reciprocity on the states of initial licensure having substantially similar or more stringent requirements than Missouri, leaving minimum education as the baseline.
The bill goes further by employing the “Fresh Start Act,” which expands eligibility for licensure for those with criminal histories. It also creates a mechanism for obtaining licensure through apprenticeship programs.
Licensing requirements are expensive and time-consuming, serving as undue burdens to entry for many workers. A 2017 report by the Institute for Justice found the average cost in licensing fees for lower- and middle-income occupations in Missouri was $179. That number is significantly higher in many states, including in Missouri’s eastern and southern neighbors.
Realizing that consequence, and the consequences for those with criminal records trying to reenter the workforce, more and more states are adopting reforms like this one. Since 2015, Missouri is the 32nd state to make its licensing laws more favorable to ex-offenders.
The new legislation also positions Missouri to better combat economic fallout resulting from COVID-19. A recent Pew survey found that 22% of adults had moved due to COVID-19 or know someone who did. People are looking for work, and they are looking for places where they can find work more swiftly. There’s no guarantee that Missouri will see large migrations, but certainly, it becomes more welcoming now that there are fewer barriers on the job front. And the sooner people can work, the more quickly the economy will grow.
In a recent hearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana asked top health officials about Operation Warp Speed.
“Is the expedited process for developing and testing therapeutics and vaccines safe?” Kennedy asked, to which the panelists responded with a resounding, “Yes.”
“Well, how come we don’t always use it then?” he questioned. His point was that the federal government should always be using whatever safe means are at its disposal to shorten the life of vaccine development. States should continue to adopt the same kind of practice with licensing so that more people can be eligible to work more quickly.
