A news report in Colorado has identified several instances of inaccurate or incomplete home inspections and highlights the consumer and industry call for regulation of the industry. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies performed a sunrise review in 2014 that recommended the need for home inspector licensing, including an exam, continuing education and a criminal background check. A bill for state certification of home inspectors was introduced in the 2015 legislative session but did not pass. Currently 32 states regulate home inspectors.
June 17, 2016
July 10, 2014
Texas Sunset Commission report calls for deregulation of 12 healthcare professions
The Texas Sunset Commission has issued a staff report calling for the deregulation of 19 state programs, 12 of which involve the regulation of health professions. Among those professions targeted are Medical Radiologic Technologists and Respiratory Care Practitioners. The report further recommends the transfer of twelve of additional programs to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A hearing concerning the report's recommendations was held on June 25 and a final decision is expected to be made on August 13, 2014.
March 05, 2009
Colorado: sunrise review - sign language interpreters
2009 Sunrise Review: Sign Language Interpreters recommends that "title protection may be warranted in a limited fashion." The report includes a history of the profession, discusses the federal and Colorado regulatory environments, and includes an overview of sign language interpreter regulation in states bordering Colorado.
December 26, 2008
West Virginia: sunrise report recommends against CPMs
Licensing certified professional midwives would not signicantly enhance the health and welfare of the public compared to its costs concludes Sunrise Report: Licensing of Certified Professional Midwives. The nursing board opposed the proposal, saying the public is best served by licensed certified nurse midwifes.
June 04, 2008
Colorado: sunrise review - PV Solar Electric installers
2008 Sunrise Review: Photovoltaic Solar Electric Installers identifies regulation of this profession in eight states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Utah. Practitioners install solar electric systems for both commercial and residential use, which are explained briefly in the report. A potential for both financial and physical harm resulting from assorted errors is acknowledged, but identified consumer complaints were very few. The recommendation is to impose no regulation on Photovoltaic Solar Electric Installers in Colorado.
May 26, 2008
Colorado: sunrise report on human trackers
Human Trackers are trained to locate lost or missing persons, typically in wilderness areas. 2008 Sunrise Review: Human Trackers recommends against establishing a program to oversee the profession because it found no related public harm. Further, an adequate system is already in place. Colorado sheriffs, who handle search and rescue operations, have access to privately credentialed trackers and may also draw on the Colorado Search and Rescue Board's resources roster. No other state currently regulates this profession.
January 27, 2008
Washington: sunrise review on speech language pathology assistants
The Washington State Department of Health has published a draft Speech Language Pathology Assistant Sunrise Review. The findings include that there is a growing shortage of speech-language pathologists and that 35 states now regulate speech-language pathology assistants or other support personnel. The recommendation is for regulation of speech language pathology assistants, but by certification, rather than the requested licensure.
Washington: sunrise review on colon hydrotherapists
The Washington State Department of Health has published a draft Colon Hydrotherapist Sunrise Review. The applicant was the International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy, which requested that colon hydrotherapists be recognized as a new profession and practitioners permitted to practice independently. The review says that no state licenses colon hydrotherapists, although Florida permits licensed massage therapists to obtain certification in colonic irrigation. Under current Washington law, colon hydrotherapy is within the scope of practice for naturopaths, physicians, and osteopathic physicians. The finding is that the public is already protected by current state laws and further, that to introduce regulation of a single medical procedure would be inefficient and not cost-effective.
January 11, 2008
West Virginia: recommendation against regulation of athletic trainers
The legislative auditor says that the cost of licensing athletic trainers would exceed the proposed program's benefit to the public. The report provides information on the 46 states that have some form of athletic trainer oversight. Read the report.
January 06, 2008
Colorado: sunrise report on naturopathic physicians
2008 Sunrise Review: Naturopathic Physicians is the fourth response since 1993 to applications submitted by the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians. It is the third time that regulation is being recommended to the legislature. The report acknowledges that controversy surrounds this profession, but points out that the public is being demonstrably harmed by some individuals using the title naturopath. Protecting the public from such harm, not determining whether a practice actually works, is the only appropriate standard for regulation. The report provides detailed information on oversight in the fifteen states and the District of Columbia which currently regulate naturopaths. Read the report.
