The Institute for Justice, which describes itself as the “nation’s only libertarian public interest law firm, has published a new study on the burden of licensing requirements for 102 different professions across the United States.
The report also developed a “burden” ranking of the states — and placed Michigan at No. 21, the 21st most burdensome state for professional licensing in theUnited States.
As reported recently in Bridge here, here and here, the Snyder administration is engaged in a review of state business regulations, including professional licensing matters. In mid-April, the review team recommended the end of licensing requirements for 18 occupations.
The IJ report did not analyze every occupational license for every state. Of the 102 it did study, however, Michigan had 42 with some type of licensing regime, with average fees of $198.
Michiganwas second to Ohio(16th) among Midwest Great Lakes states on the burden index, followed by Minnesota(24), Indiana(26), Illinois(31) and Wisconsin(48).
The report’s authors wrote, “Michigan is the most difficult place in the country to become a security guard. Applicants must obtain three years of education and experience.”
They also noted, “Of the 42 licensed occupations (in Michigan), 15 are licensed in fewer than half of the other states.”
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