At the end of every May, America gives thanks for all military veterans that made the ultimate sacrifice to maintain freedom and the greatest country on Earth.
To close out the month of May, Texas legislators gave back to our military veterans and their families. HB5629 was sent to Governor Abbot for his signature. The bill was authored by Representative Terry Wilson and sponsored by Senator Kevin Sparks who also had a companion bill in the Senate.
If this bill is signed by the Governor, veterans and their families will no longer face unnecessary bureaucracy, red tape, and delays in continuing on in their careers.
Occupational licensing is a big barrier to all workers in Texas. In a national ranking that I coauthor, we rank Texas as having the most burdensome licensing in the country—licensing more occupations than any other states. Of the 284 occupations we examine, Texas licenses 199 of them. This is 25 more than the national average, and 63 more than Kansas—the state that we find licenses the lowest number of occupations.
Today, if a licensed military member, spouse, or veteran moves to Texas, they inexplicably might not be able to continue working. This is exactly what happened to Hannah Magee Portée, a licensed school counselor who was not able to successfully transfer her licenses from Ohio or Missouri when her husband was transferred to Del Rio on Air Force orders.
This isn’t just the wrong way to treat and honor our military families. It also hurts all Texans as well.
Texas, like most other states in the US, has more jobs than workers. More specifically, the US Chamber of Commerce estimates that there are only 80 workers for every 100 jobs.
Given this problem, it simply doesn’t make sense for Texas to keep talented workers on the sidelines due to the dithering of licensing boards in the state.
Continue reading at The Victoria Advocate.
Edward Timmons, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Archbridge Institute. He formerly served as founding director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center at West Virginia University. He is regularly asked to provide expert testimony in state legislatures across the U.S. on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners. His work is heavily cited by the popular press, and he has authored numerous articles for media publications.
Economics of Flourishing
At the end of every May, America gives thanks for all military veterans that made the ultimate sacrifice to maintain freedom and the greatest country on Earth.
To close out the month of May, Texas legislators gave back to our military veterans and their families. HB5629 was sent to Governor Abbot for his signature. The bill was authored by Representative Terry Wilson and sponsored by Senator Kevin Sparks who also had a companion bill in the Senate.
If this bill is signed by the Governor, veterans and their families will no longer face unnecessary bureaucracy, red tape, and delays in continuing on in their careers.
Occupational licensing is a big barrier to all workers in Texas. In a national ranking that I coauthor, we rank Texas as having the most burdensome licensing in the country—licensing more occupations than any other states. Of the 284 occupations we examine, Texas licenses 199 of them. This is 25 more than the national average, and 63 more than Kansas—the state that we find licenses the lowest number of occupations.
Today, if a licensed military member, spouse, or veteran moves to Texas, they inexplicably might not be able to continue working. This is exactly what happened to Hannah Magee Portée, a licensed school counselor who was not able to successfully transfer her licenses from Ohio or Missouri when her husband was transferred to Del Rio on Air Force orders.
This isn’t just the wrong way to treat and honor our military families. It also hurts all Texans as well.
Texas, like most other states in the US, has more jobs than workers. More specifically, the US Chamber of Commerce estimates that there are only 80 workers for every 100 jobs.
Given this problem, it simply doesn’t make sense for Texas to keep talented workers on the sidelines due to the dithering of licensing boards in the state.
Continue reading at The Victoria Advocate.
Edward Timmons
Edward Timmons, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Archbridge Institute. He formerly served as founding director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center at West Virginia University. He is regularly asked to provide expert testimony in state legislatures across the U.S. on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners. His work is heavily cited by the popular press, and he has authored numerous articles for media publications.
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