Arizona House OKs bill to recognize out-of-state occupational licenses
Feb 27, 2019, 4:29 PM
(Pixabay Photo)
(Pixabay Photo)
PHOENIX — The Arizona House passed a bill Monday that would stop requiring people who have occupational licenses in other states to repeat training and testing to practice in Arizona.
Elliot Pollack, CEO of economic consulting firm Elliott D. Pollack & Company in Scottsdale, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday that HB 2569 would make it easier for new residents to get jobs.
However, he said, some people have pushed back against the bill because they believe the current law helps consumers.
“The argument pro is that consumers need to be protected, and so the people who get, for example, a cosmetology license or even up to a doctor’s license for a state have to pass a rigorous exam and take a lot of classes to make sure they understand the dangers of their profession,” Pollack said.
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“The other argument is (a) the marketplace would take care of bad guys because … they’d be quickly out of business, and (b) that it’s really just a scam to keep the number of people in that industry down to keep prices up.”
He said the truth between those arguments is “probably somewhere in between,” but he sides with the latter point.
“There’s no reason that someone who passes a licensing situation in New York or California can’t come here and show that they passed the New York or California equivalent of a test and therefore get a license here,” Pollack said.
He said the argument that training and tests aren’t as rigorous in other states is just a “stalling tactic” to avoid competition.
“If you’re licensed in another state, you’ve probably passed enough in terms of education and tests to know the basics and to protect the public, so I think this is a good idea” he said.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey spoke in favor of the bill during his State of the State address, arguing that it could boost employment in the state.
The House passed the bill by a vote of 36-24.
The bill needs to be passed by the Senate and signed by Ducey to become law.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Peter Samore contributed to this report.
