Missouri has seen a lot of improvements in occupational licensing policy in recent years. Senate Bill (SB) 1233, if signed, would make another improvement to our already strong licensing framework.
Missouri’s universal reciprocity regime allows most licensed professionals from other states to have licensing requirements waived when they relocate to the Show-Me State. But what happens when a professional moves to Missouri from a state that does not license their occupation at all?
Senate Bill 1233 creates a new pathway for those individuals. Specifically, it offers a temporary license to individuals with at least three years of work experience in an occupation or profession in states that do not require a license.
For example, Missouri is one of 31 states that requires a license to work as a sign-language interpreter. Without SB 1233, if a sign-language interpreter with three years or more of experience from one of the 19 states (and the District of Columbia) that don’t require licensing moved to Missouri, they would have to spend the time and money to acquire a license before they could work here.
This bill would allow experienced professionals to continue working while pursuing a permanent Missouri license.
There are still additional improvements that can be made in occupational licensing. For example, in the licensing reciprocity process, relevant oversight bodies can still wait up to six months to issue a waiver for an applicant. A six-month waiting period is far too long.
Every occupational license carries real costs, including the loss of time and income while waiting for approval. The central question in occupational licensing is whether these costs are justified by clear and demonstrable benefits to public safety or product quality.
SB 1233 lowers the costs for experienced professionals from license-free states. It also lowers barriers to entry, which can increase the supply of professionals in different sectors and place downward pressure on prices for consumers. Missouri policymakers should continue to evaluate which existing licensing requirements function as legitimate safeguards and which function primarily as barriers to entry and work.
