By Caleb Taylor Does the occupational licensing of nursing home administrators affect the quality of care of nursing home residents? A forthcoming paper by ACRE Undergraduate Research Fellow Ryan Jackson and ACRE Economic Policy Analyst Alex Kanode examines this question. Jackson is a part of ACRE’s Research Fellowship Program. In this program, students work with […]
Sunset Review of Occupational Licenses In Arkansas Continues
By Alex Kanode On January 13th, the ALC Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee met to discuss their recommendations from the December meeting and bring forward more recommendations. The subcommittee is tasked by law with determining and implementing the least restrictive form of occupational authorization to protect consumers from significant and substantiated harms to public health and […]
ACRE Student Spotlight: Elsa Mattson
By Caleb Taylor Do occupational licensing regulations affect the amount of business establishments within states? The answer is “yes,” according to a forthcoming paper entitled “Occupational Licensing Effects on Business Establishments” co-authored by ACRE Undergraduate Research Fellow Elsa Mattson. According to the abstract of the paper: This paper investigates the effects of state occupational licensing […]
Legislators Examine Acupuncture, Sprinkler Fitter Licenses
By Alex Kanode Occupational licensing has increased dramatically in the past 70 years. In the 1950s, only 5% of the US workforce had to have a license before they could work, while today 25% have a license. Occupational licensing is when the government sets a list of requirements, such as education, experience and fees, that […]
To Lure Businesses, Lower Burdens, Economist Says
By Caleb Taylor The costs of getting government permission slips to work affect where businesses in certain industries set up shop, said Dr. Alicia Plemmons at an ACRE Speaker Series event on Nov. 19. Plemmons is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Economics & Finance Department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is also an […]
Licensing Sunset Reviews Begin
By Alex Kanode Occupational licensing has been an increasingly hot topic across the US, and Arkansas is no exception. A 2018 report from the Occupational Licensing Advisory Group stated that Arkansas had a whopping 310 licenses, 51 certificates, and 35 registrations. In order to evaluate these occupations, the 2019 Arkansas Legislature passed Act 600, which created […]
Red Tape Reduction Process Begins
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas legislators will begin their “sunset review” of occupational licenses that might be keeping Arkansans from working in certain industries Thursday. The Arkansas Legislative Council Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee was created by Act 600, also known as The Red Tape Reduction Sunrise and Sunset Act, which passed both the House and Senate […]
Is the sun setting on Arkansas’s high occupational licensing burden?
By Caleb Taylor ACRE Policy Analyst Alex Kanode was quoted in a recent article and wrote an op-ed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette discussing a recent change in how the state evaluates its licensing laws. Act 600, also known as The Red Tape Reduction Sunrise and Sunset Act, passed both the House and Senate with no […]
Better Health By Empowering Nurse Practitioners
By Caleb Taylor Could Arkansans get better healthcare and save money with a simple regulatory change? Dr. David Mitchell, an associate professor of economics at UCA and director of the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics, told the legislature that the answer is yes — and all Arkansans would have to do is let nurse […]
How Markets Protect You from Bad Haircuts
By Alex Kanode Last month, a bill was filed in the Arkansas Senate that would delicense barbers and make them pay a $50 fee and a $2,000 surety bond to the Department of Health. A surety bond is an agreement between the practitioner and the board that the practitioner will follow the rules. This agreement […]