When you’ve been doing the same thing over and over and it hasn’t worked, it’s time to make a change. We’ve been doing a lot of things in Louisiana that just haven’t worked for as long as most of us can remember.  The State has simply fallen into ruts that have kept us lagging behind our neighbors and the rest of the country.

Historically, one of the state’s deepest “ruts” is our penchant to make employment as a licensed professional or skilled craftsman time and cost prohibitive. I challenge anyone reading this to find a profession or skilled-based craft that makes Louisiana a “friendly” state for seeking employment or doing business. Making it easier to come to Louisiana and use an earned credential is something we need to do—as soon as possible.

Louisiana is one of the most restrained, heavily-licensed states in America. We need to break down barriers for businesses, employees and job seekers. Several fellow members of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus and other legislators are readying bills to significantly change the way Louisiana accepts licensed and skilled professionals through something known as Universal License Recognition (ULR).

ULR falls into two distinct but related categories of job seekers or entrepreneurs:  (1) Those who already hold a current and valid occupational license/credential in another state with a similar scope of practice; and (2) Those who recently worked in a state that does not use an occupational license or government certification to regulate a lawful occupation that we, for some reason, deem necessary to license or credential.

For the first and largest category, those already holding a license who want to come use their license/skill in Louisiana: If a professional or craftsman has held a valid license for one year, is in good standing and the skills/capabilities from the issuing state are the same scope of practice of Louisiana, a license will be immediately issued to the job seeker. This would include professions such as doctors, nurses, plumbers, electricians, physical therapists.   There are many others.   If you can imagine it, they’ll all probably be covered, except lawyers.    Can’t do it for lawyers, and that’s a topic for another article.

Second, for those who come to Louisiana from a state that is NOT as stringently regulated or licensed, we will change the paradigm and welcome THOSE job seekers. If a person has worked in a specific profession or trade for three years, has skills or training in the same scope of practice, is in good standing in their current state, then they will be immediately given the opportunity to obtain a license in Louisiana.  Arborists, florists and locksmiths are examples, but there are plenty of others.    If you’ve the work in another state and are in good standing in that state, our goal is to let you come and go right to work.  Not harass you.  Not slow you down.   But to give you the benefit of the doubt and let you become a productive citizen in our state.

People today are leaving Louisiana quicker than they’re coming in. According to U.S. Census population numbers, we have lost nearly100,000 people since 2016 (4,670,724 vs 4,573,749). We have an out-migration problem. Invariably, professionals and craftsmen moving to Louisiana have to prove to some entity (usually in Baton Rouge) that their skills are legitimate by jumping through prohibitive, costly hoops or take pointless exams. I know a plumber who had practiced in Florida for 20 years and tried to come here and set up a business operation. He eventually gave up due to the onerous process. It’s time we start giving the benefit of the doubt to folks who come to us with valid credentials or verifiable experience.

A phrase we will use in crafting this ULR is “Scope of Practice.”  In short, when we say a professional or craftsman in another state can be welcomed here if his or her training or skills are in line with our “Scope of Practice,” :we mean that we will license skilled workers whose out of state license allows them to perform the responsibilities and professional duties that align with a similar license to work in Louisiana.  Safety of the public is the main framework for Scope of Practice analysis and current licensing boards will have a duty to ensure public safety.  They will not have a duty and will be strongly discouraged from chasing off entrepreneurs to protect industries with carve outs. That needs to stop.

As a test case in 2020, we adopted a ULR type paradigm for the spouses of military or Department of Defense personnel who are permanently assigned to Louisiana. As a result, the license or credential of any military spouse has been universally recognized since 2020. The sky did not fall. It has worked. It worked well, in fact.

Universal license recognition is already working in numerous states across the country, with nearly half of all states having enacted a version of the reform already. In Arizona alone, over 9,000 workers have been safely and expeditiously licensed since 2019. Arizona’s license recognition reform has allowed professionals in numerous fields to obtain a license to work, including doctors, engineers, cosmetologists, and thousands of men and women in the trades. This reform has been helpful for employers and workers alike and has been a boon for the Arizona economy, with recent estimates projecting an additional $1.5billion in GDP over 10 years thanks to recognition.

Now is the time for bold action.  “Steps in the right direction” and continuing to protect special groups and “carve outs” are not the way we change the direction of our state, much less stem our significant population loss.   It’s time do something different, and ULR can and will make a change for our beloved Louisiana.