News
Dental hygienist’s licensing dispute relies on NC’s 2019 criminal reforms
The issue spotlights reforms made in the North Carolina General Assembly to help reformed ex-offenders find work and become productive citizens again.
News
Cooper signs bill recognizing occupational therapy licenses of other states
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed a bill into law expanding the ability of licensed occupational therapists to practice across state lines. House Bill 224 passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously — 119-0 in the N.C. House in March and 46-0 in the Senate in May. “This bill preserves and maintains our state’s licensure and...
Opinion
NC’s licensing turf wars threaten yet another profession
Cease and desist, ordered the licensing board. The service you’re selling falls under the scope of practice we regulate. Never mind your certifications. Have you taken all the coursework we demand for our license? Have you paid the fees? Are you in the club? It’s just a small service, they responded. It doesn’t threaten your...
Opinion
NC needs bold action, not little tugs, to cut out unnecessary licensing
The way to solve the North Carolinian knot would be to go straight at it with several structural reforms.
Opinion
Conservatives have better solutions than government for racial injustice
If you only ever read The Washington Post or The New York Times and watch MSNBC, you might believe conservatives have nothing to say about race. The view that conservatives are racists is prominent in academia, too. The “Southern Strategy” theory argues the GOP built its Southern base by appealing to white racism. The theory...
News
IJ study shows occupational licensing cost North Carolina more than 42,000 jobs
Occupational licensing may have cost North Carolina more than 42,000 jobs and millions in economic losses, a new study from the Institute for Justice says. The study from the nonprofit, libertarian public interest law firm looked at the economic cost of occupational licensing across the country. According to the study, a conservative measure of lost...
News
Licensing rules block recent speech therapy grads from working in N.C.
See Editor’s Note at end of story. Alicia Moran is a junior at Bob Jones University in South Carolina, studying to get her bachelor’s degree in communications disorders. She wants to return to her home state of North Carolina to work, but the licensing scheme here may keep her away. In North Carolina, a licensed...
News
N.C. in the middle among states in regard to occupational licensing, study finds
A report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty rates North Carolina just average when it comes to occupational licensing. North Carolina ranked 26th on the group’s Red Tape Index. Will Flanders, research director, and Collin Roth, a research fellow, looked into the effects of occupational licensing on a variety of low- to middle-income...
Opinion
North Carolina needs an alternative to occupational licensing
For half a century, making any reform to a state’s occupational licensing system has been nigh on impossible. How hard? In 2015, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics could find “only eight instances of the de-licensing of occupations over the past 40 years.” In recent months, however, the ice jam over occupational licensing has begun...
Opinion
Sending mixed message, confusing North Carolinians
Mixed signals. Some things are clear — lower taxes, fewer regulations, skilled workers, and efficient infrastructure lead to economic growth. A robust and growing business community creates jobs. Vouchers offer opportunities to low-income students, and school choice leads to better and more fulfilling educational outcomes. Investments in education and public safety pay off. Some things...
News
Bill would speed occupational licensing for military members, spouses
RALEIGH — Military members who have earned an occupational license from another state shouldn’t have to wait around as North Carolina bureaucrats decide about granting a license here, some legislators say. Senate Bill 8 would solve that problem. The legislation, approved unanimously Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would allow qualified military members moving from another...
News
N.C. One of Many States Reviewing Occupational Licensing Rules
A legislative proposal that would consolidate or eliminate licensing boards for more than a dozen occupations may be stalled until next year, but as legislators weigh public input on licensing rules, other states may serve as models for reforming occupational licensing provisions. The issue got the attention of the General Assembly after a landmark U.S....
