Restrictive licensing practices and regulatory barriers frequently prevent qualified and trained workers from participating in the workforce. This is true in Georgia as elsewhere, but a few bills passed in this year’s legislative session took aim at those barriers. A license is essentially the government’s permission to work, and in any state concerned with growth, prosperity and freedom, it should be one of the last regulatory tools considered. The burden should fall on the government to demonstrate that a restriction addresses a genuine danger and that a less restrictive alternative is not plausibly available. Senate Bill 553, sponsored by Senator Bo Hatchett, reorganizes the state’s construction-industry licensing system and establishes clearer paths to licensure for electricians, plumbers, conditioned-air contractors, low-voltage contractors and utility contractors. Among other provisions, it recognizes technical education and federally approved apprenticeships as qualifying routes for certain applicants and preserves avenues for reciprocity. This is particularly important now, as Georgia contractors report persistent difficulty in finding qualified craft workers, particularly as continued construction and infrastructure investment increases demand for skilled trades. Senate Bill 207, sponsored by Senator Brian Strickland, addresses uncertainty for Georgians with criminal records. Under the new law, a person may ask a licensing authority for a predetermination of…
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