On Tuesday, The Buckeye Institute, Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, and the Goldwater Institute jointly sent an open letter (see full text below or download a PDF) to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and members of the Ohio General Assembly urging the quick adoption of universal occupational licensing recognition.

In the letter, the heads of the three respective organization—The Buckeye Institute’s Robert Alt, AFP’s Micah Derry, and Goldwater’s Victor Riches—wrote:

“During the early days of the pandemic, Ohio enacted temporary licensing reforms to recognize out-of-state medical licenses so that more doctors and nurses licensed in other states could treat Ohio patients. This limited reform wisely bolstered Ohio’s health care capacity in a time of need.

“Ohio should adopt similar, but permanent, occupational licensing reforms that recognize out-of-state licenses for other licensed professionals. Reducing or eliminating unnecessary licensing barriers and recognizing existing licenses from other states will attract licensed, professional workers to Ohio and help more Ohioans get back to work serving our communities.”

These three leading voices on universal occupational licensing recognition for Ohio, Buckeye, AFP, and Goldwater together urged lawmakers to “build upon earlier reforms and make it easier for licensed workers in every profession to move to the Buckeye State where they can earn a living here in their chosen professions.”

November 10, 2020

Dear Governor DeWine and Esteemed Member of the Ohio General Assembly,

The pandemic recession continues to challenge Ohio businesses and workers. Unemployment reached historic levels earlier this year, many businesses have closed their doors, and families remain understandably concerned about their financial futures. State policymakers can relieve some of those burdens and hasten Ohio’s recovery by making it easier for more people to join or return to Ohio’s labor force.

During the early days of the pandemic, Ohio enacted temporary licensing reforms to recognize out-of-state medical licenses so that more doctors and nurses licensed in other states could treat Ohio patients. This limited reform wisely bolstered Ohio’s health care capacity in a time of need.

Ohio should adopt similar, but permanent, occupational licensing reforms that recognize out-of-state licenses for other licensed professionals. Reducing or eliminating unnecessary licensing barriers and recognizing existing licenses from other states will attract licensed, professional workers to Ohio and help more Ohioans get back to work serving our communities.

House Bill 432 and Senate Bill 246 do exactly that. By codifying universal recognition of out-of-state licenses held in good standing, Ohio would join Arizona, Missouri, and Pennsylvania in opening doors to professionals licensed by other states.

Significant research shows that occupational licenses do not enhance public safety, but they do make it harder for workers to find better job opportunities. High fees and training requirements reduce an occupation’s job growth by 20 percent with disproportionate impact on middle-aged, low-income, and non-college educated workers. Research also shows that Ohio has approximately 67,000 fewer jobs than it would have otherwise with more appropriate licensing laws.

We have recommended occupational licensing reforms in Ohio (and other states) for many years now. And Ohio has adopted many of our recommendations, including implementing a process for formally reviewing all state-mandated licenses, establishing procedures that make it harder to impose new licenses and requirements, and reducing employment barriers for military families. Occupational licensing reform is a key plank in the Ohio Prosperity Plan and adopting universal license-recognition would be another promise fulfilled, but—more importantly—recognizing occupational licenses earned in other states would help Ohio’s families and economy recover more quickly from the pandemic’s devastating economic consequences.

Ohio leaders should continue to build upon earlier reforms and make it easier for licensed workers in every profession to move to the Buckeye State where they can earn a living here in their chosen professions.

Sincerely,

 
Robert Alt
President and CEO
The Buckeye Institute

Micah Derry
State Director
Americans for Prosperity-Ohio

Victor Riches
President and CEO 
The Goldwater Institute