Jacob Ogles
Americans for Prosperity wants Florida lawmakers to snip red tape and reform occupational license regulations.
A new campaign encourages citizens to lobby the Florida Legislature. Americans for Prosperity-Florida released an animated video using streams of red tape to symbolize occupational licensing laws. The imagery ties in with direct mail targeting specific lawmakers’ constituencies.
“AFP-FL believes that all Floridians deserve the opportunity to support their families without needless government burdens. To unleash these opportunities, we want to help Gov. [Ron] DeSantis and lawmakers that are willing to come together to take licensing reform and ‘punch it in the end zone this year,’” said Skylar Zander, AFP-FL state director, referencing a specific line from DeSantis’ 2020 State of the State address.
“While some government occupational licenses may have originated as well-intentioned, today they too often represent anti-competitive, needlessly burdensome, and ineffective barriers that do little to address public health and safety concerns. Florida’s workforce of the future would be better served if the training and credentialing that inform job preparedness were dictated by the demands of consumers and job seekers.”
Licensing reform ended up the most notable part of DeSantis’ agenda for 2019, but didn’t get done during last year’s Legislative Session.
Zander wants the mission complete, though, before the current Session draws to a close.
“We should give everyone the freedom to innovate and unleash opportunity without rigid government requirements,” Zander said. “We have a great opportunity to drive reforms that will continue to make Florida the best state to live, work, and raise a family.”
The organization supports specific legislation this year sponsored by Sen. Ben Albritton (SB 474) and Rep. Blaise Ingoglia (HB 1193) that serve as the major deregulation packages this year.
Additionally, the group supports major preemption bills from Sen. Keith Perry (SB 1336) and Rep. Michael Grant (HB 3) restricting local governments from creating new licensing regulations, as well as bills from Sen. Manny Diaz (SB 1124) and Rep. Paul Renner (HB 707) that would call on all remaining licensing to undergo a four-year review to be refined or eliminated.
AFP-FL decries that licenses, once something only required of high-education fields like doctors and lawyers, today restrict hair braiders, athletic trainers and florists. The group said such requirements create barriers for professionals, particularly among the poor, minorities and women. They also often create barriers for those returning to society after prison, contributing to recidivism.
The group cites a national study that found licensing regulations nationwide cost 2 million jobs, $6.2-$7.1 billion in “deadweight economic losses,” and $183.9-$197.3 billion in misallocated resources each year.
One comment
Thomas Knapp
January 27, 2020 at 9:51 am
How many of those supposed anti-red-tape Republicans support conscripting every employer in Florida as unpaid ICE informants, for the purpose of regulating the labor market, with E-Verify?
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