In testimony before the Assembly Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform, representatives from psychology, social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, marriage and family therapy, and private security spoke of delays and backlog for licensure applications. Testimony noted that license applications have more than doubled in less than a decade, with the trend expected to continue. Representatives of the professions called on the Legislature to grant budget requests to add staff to the Department of Safety and Professional Standards. Testimony from the DSPS liaison noted that $37 million of the department's revenue is diverted back to the state's general fund.
March 23, 2022
Ontario: debate over articling student compensation
Th Law Society of Ontario's Professional Development and Competence Committee issued a November 2021 report recommending not to compensate articling students' minimum wage, thus relieving a burden from sole and small firms and allowing them to more easily bring on students. The Law Society argues that a minimum wage for articling students would exacerbate the problem of licensing candidates being unable to find articling jobs. The Federation of Ontario Law Associations has spoken against the recommendation. Concern has been raised that unpaid articling makes it harder for the legal profession to become more inclusive, as racialized and marginalized students often cannot work for free as they complete their requirements for entry into the profession.
March 17, 2022
NPR report on nurse licensure delays
An NPR analysis recently looked at delays in nurse licensure in 2021 in the United States, noting a wait of at least three months for more than 33% of nurses and a wait of six months or longer for 10% of nurses. Reasons cited include discrepancies such as misplaced documents or missed emails causing applications to be marked incomplete. State boards are also facing an increased workload due to largely increased applications in 2021. The article also notes the delays that can result for nurses trying to cross state orders into states that have not joined the Nurse Licensure Compact.
March 09, 2022
New Mexico: updates to expedited professional licensure law
An executive order in October 2021 directed a review of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department to streamline professional licensing practices. In response, a new law
- "removes barriers related to licensure that are unrelated to the profession;
- provides nurses an expedited license to practice in New Mexico;
- makes changes to the grounds for refusal to issue, renew, suspend, or revoke a license by updating the language and removing current barriers that will substantially improve the timely issuance of licensure;
- eliminates the requirement of four years of high school for cosmetologist instructor and barber instructor applicants; and
- provides the opportunity for licensure for those who are in good standing and have practiced without complaints to transfer their licenses and easily start working after a move."
Legislation currently directs New Mexico boards to issue a one-year provisional license to an applicant who holds a license in good standing in another jurisdiction, has practiced the profession for a prerequisite time period, and completes a criminal background check if required. A new section of legislation directs that a regular license be issued upon renewal application and allows boards to establish a posted list of states and territories from which it would not accept an application for expedited licensure. Also, rulemaking procedures are removed from the legislation and instead referred to the State Rules Act.
Minnesota considers Nurse Licensure Compact
The Minnesota Senate has passed a bill to allow Minnesota to join the Nurse Licensure Compact, which would allow Minnesota nurses in good standing to apply for a multistate and the Minnesota Board of Nursing to recognize nurses from other compact states. Concern has been raised that the standards set by the Compact are less stringent than the standards already in place in Minnesota. Concern has also been raised that the compact will not address the problem of a nursing shortage because other factors, such as hospital staffing, lack of mental health support, violence at healthcare facilities, and inadequate faculty, are contributing to the challenge.
March 02, 2022
Maine considers registration for residential construction contractors
A bill under consideration in Maine would require residential construction contractors to be registered by the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. In addition to basic contact and business information, the registry would include the contractor's website, number of years in business, any criminal convictions or bankruptcy petitions in the last 10 years, insurance, and any other occupational licenses held in any jurisdiction in the last 10 years. Registration renewal would be annual.
The commissioner of the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation testified against the bill, noting that a licensing program's purpose is to set minimum standards, not address issues of fraud such as those that prompted the bill.
Naturopaths to be licensed in Northwest Territories
The Health and Social Services Professions Act has come into force in the Northwest Territories, with naturopathic doctors as the first profession to be regulated under the Act. Naturopathic practitioners will be regulated by the Health and Social Services Registrar of Professional Licensing. Current practitioners have until September 1, 2022 to apply for licensure.
Under the Health and Social Services Professions Act, an organization representing a health or social services profession, or a group of people practicing a profession, can apply to the Minister of Health and Social Services to be designated for regulation. The application will be based on
- "A profession’s regulatory status in other jurisdictions.
- Whether there are other means to regulate members of the profession other than under the Act.
- The nature and degree, if any, of the risk to the health and safety of the public if the profession is unregulated.
- The potential economic impacts of regulation."
February 23, 2022
Maryland considers allowing licenses for undocumented immigrants
Legislation under consideration in the Maryland House and Senate would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain professional and occupational licenses. Five states - New Jersey, Colorado, California, Nevada, and New Mexico - have removed lawful presence in the US as a requirement for professional and occupational licensing, provided candidates meet all other requirements. Legislators in support of the Maryland bill cite the positive impact it could have on labor shortage issues.
February 16, 2022
New Zealand proposes to license rental property managers
The government of New Zealand has opened a consultation about a proposed licensing scheme for rental property managers. The scheme would require property managers to adhere to a code of compliance, pass a fit and proper person test, and take a training course. Property managers would be subject to a complaints and discipline process and fines and would need to take continuing professional development. After the consultation period, a bill would not be expected until 2023.
February 09, 2022
Colorado among states considering counselors compact
A bill being considered in the Colorado Senate would allow Colorado to join the Interstate Licensed Professional Counselors Compact. The Compact would allow licensed mental and behavioral health counselors licensed in a compact state to immediately begin practice upon residency in another compact state without obtaining a separate license in that state. Georgia and Maryland joined the Compact in 2021, and twleve other states are considering legislation. Ten states must enact the compact before it becomes effective.
