SB 2187: Universal recognition of occupational licenses

Senate Bill 2187, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Blackwell, would require the state to recognize occupational licenses obtained in another state.

Under the proposal, licensing boards would be required to issue occupational licenses without new testing or classroom training if an individual held a license in good standing from another state for at least one year.

Licensing boards would also be required to issue licenses if:

• An individual worked at least three years in a state that did not require a license for their occupation.
• An individual worked at least two years and held a private certification from a state that did not require a license for that occupation.

Right now, when an individual moves to Mississippi, they have to spend considerable time and money just to be re-taught what they already learned. Even in occupations that claim to offer reciprocity, it is often a time-consuming process and may require additional training if licensing boards in Mississippi believe the education from a previous state was insufficient.

We know an individual does not forget how to do a job just because they cross state lines. They should not have to jump through the same bureaucratic hoops that they did in their former state just to work in Mississippi, a state that has one of the lowest workforce participation rates in the country.

Two years ago, Arizona became the first state in the nation to provide universal recognition of occupational licenses. In the first year of the program, more than 1,100 new Arizonans applied for and were granted a license to work in the Grand Canyon State. Since that time, Montana, Pennsylvania, Utah, Idaho, Iowa, and Missouri all followed Arizona.

Last year, Mississippi passed a similar law exclusively for military families last year. That was needed and a good first step, but it should be expanded to everyone who moves to Mississippi.

Empower Mississippi supports this legislation.

It has been referred to Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency. You can read the bill here.