The dental
hygiene profession is one of the 34 occupations selected for review in the new National Occupational
Licensing Database,
which was created by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National
Governors Association Center for Best Practices and The Council of State
Governments, with grant support from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment
and Training Administration. The goal of the database is to contribute to the
understanding of the variation in occupational licensing burdens across the
country, particularly among professions for which these laws may pose
unnecessary barriers to employment.
For
dental hygiene, the database includes the following information by state:
- Level
of educational attainment needed to fulfill the licensure requirement.
- Number
of hours/units of training needed to fulfill the licensure requirement.
- Number
of examinations taken to fulfill licensure requirement.
- Number
of years before renewal is required for an occupational license.
- Number
of hours/units of continuing education required to maintain or renew licensure.
- Maximum
dollar amount charged for initial licensure.
- Maximum
dollar amount charged for renewal of licensure.
Nebraska
On Jan. 17, the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) submitted written comments in response to a request from State Senator Laura Ebke (LP-NE)
on proposed state legislation that would require review of the competitive
impact of Nebraska’s licensing regulations and laws, with the goal of
procompetitive reform of restrictions on regulated occupations. The comments
support the approach described in the proposal, noting that “implementation of
the Bill may pose certain challenges, and . . . highlight concerns about any potential expansion of antitrust immunity
for licensing boards controlled by active market participants.”
In particular, Nebraska LB 299 would establish a Legislative Office of Occupational
Regulations charged with a form of “sunrise” review of “each legislative bill
or amendment to a legislative bill which would enact or modify occupational
regulations,” the bill states. In addition, LB 299 would provide for a
systematic and periodic review of existing occupational regulations, covering
regulations pertaining to approximately 20% of regulated occupations each year
and those pertaining to all regulated occupations every five years. Among the
list of 172 providers listed for review are dentists, dental hygienists and
dental assistants. The office would report its findings on legislative bills or
amendments to the appropriate legislative committee and submit its regulatory
reports to the Clerk of the Legislature.
Oklahoma
On Dec. 3, 2016, Gov. Mary
Fallin (R-OK) issued an executive order to create the Occupational
Licensing Task Force. The Governor ordered the Task Force to conduct a comprehensive
review of occupational licensing in Oklahoma and provide recommendations to the
Governor for the potential removal of license requirements that do not promote
the health and/or safety of Oklahomans and are unreasonable barriers to workers’
entry into the workforce. The Task Force issued the report on Jan. 9, 2018. The Task
Force gave several recommendations, including (this list is not exhaustive):
- Organizing
the oversight and administration of occupational licensing in the state under a single agency.
- Restructuring
existing boards so the composition does not contain a controlling number of
market participants.
- Granting
reciprocity for certain licenses or individuals.
- Allowing
for different degrees of licenses when appropriate.
- Requiring
boards to reevaluate their policy and restrictions regarding prohibitions for licensing
based on criminal records.