This article was originally published in WisPolitics.
Wisconsin has had trouble getting citizens their hard-earned licenses in a timely fashion, and a recent veto by Governor Evers isn’t going to help matters.
Sara Wuorinen had to wait at least 16 months to get a substance abuse counselor license. Sara is not alone, as there have been countless other cases of long processing delays, duplicate requests for paperwork, and other bureaucratic delays in issuing licenses.
Assembly Bill 201 would have required state licensing agencies to track processing time—certainly a piece of information that aspiring workers would want to know. This should also be a metric that licensing agencies keep as low as possible to balance their duty of measuring the applicant’s competence and not needlessly delaying the applicant’s ability to begin working. Consumers will suffer from this delay as well—not being able to get access to essential services from licensed professionals.
The veto is particularly damaging for at least two reasons. First, Wisconsin has taken some important steps in recent years to reform licensing in the state. The state has a Legislative Council Study Committee that regularly meets and makes recommendations for reform. The Department of Safety and Professional Services has also performed reviews of licensing in the state.
