Dupage Policy Journal

A bill to ease licensing and other requirements in certain state-regulated career fields, which passed the House almost unanimously last month, is about helping people find "meaningful work," state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) said in a news release.

House Bill 5575 would establish a task force to look into Illinois' requirements for occupational licensing. The bill also would identify possible regulation changes that would reduce barriers for licensed occupations and those who want to enter those fields, according to a news release issued March 1 by Mazzochi.

"We want to encourage people to find meaningful work. We need to help people climb the ladder, not pull it up out of their reach through unnecessary regulations before they can even start a new job,” Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) said in her news release.

The bill's target would be the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which maintains regulations for dozens of professions, from "doctors, dentists and architects, to nail salon workers and interior designers," the news release said.

"For example, Illinois mandates a special license with 300 hours of training, only at certain approved schools, if they want to work in hair braiding," Mazzochi said. "While there may need to be some training for specialized issues, we also need to respect people's real-world work experiences as well."

The state's General Assembly, of late, hasn't been making that easy.

"Over the past several years, the General Assembly has increased the requirements and trainings, and along with it the cost, needed to obtain a professional license in many fields," Mazzochi said. "Some of that legislation is now having an unintended consequence: over-credentialing, which makes it more difficult for people, especially if they are trying to re-enter the workforce or are low income, to access a better job market."

A 2017 Mercatus Center report found that to obtain professional licensing, "Illinoisans must pay higher-than-average fees," and that "Illinois licenses rarely-licensed professions like pharmacy technician (licensed in only 12 states), locksmith (licensed in 13), animal control officer (licensed in 17), farm labor contractor (licensed in 9), and cross-connection survey inspector (licensed in 4)."

The Mercatus Center report also found that Illinois' practice of requiring domestic work experience discriminates against immigrants.

Mazzochi's HB 5575 co-sponsors in the House are Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) and Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr (D-Chicago).

HB 5575 arrived in the Senate the same day it passed the House on Feb. 24 on a vote of 102 to 6. The bill was assigned to the Senate Licensed Activities Committee on March 2, where it has not yet been scheduled for hearing.

Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago), who sponsors the bill in the Senate, chairs the committee.