Advocates are celebrating the end of a 5-year legislative effort to reform occupational licensing laws in Nebraska, as the Governor signed the bill package into law earlier this month.
The bill, LB 16, has been the priority of the Platte Institute — a Nebraska-based free market advocacy group and think tank — since 2020. The group hosted a press event in the capitol earlier this week, attended by the bill’s sponsor Senator Danielle Conrad, other co-sponsors, representatives from RISE Nebraska, the ACLU of Nebraska, the Institute for Justice, and the Nebraska Interior Designers.
Former State Senator Dr. Laura Ebke. (Courtesy: The Unicameral Update)
The bread-and-butter of the bill is providing universal recognition of occupational licenses from outside of the state, former state senator and Platte Institute Senior Fellow Dr. Laura Ebke told KLIN News.
“So if you are an electrician in Georgia, you have a license in Georgia and you’ve been working at least a year with no problems, you can now come to Nebraska. You don’t have to start over and take new tests. This goes for teachers and nurses also, occupations like that. We hear often about this issue from military families,” said Ebke.
On top of streamlining the process for recognizing out-of-state professional licenses, the legislation also ensures those with discharged criminal records have a fair chance to pursue careers upon reentry to society. Ebke says this helped draw bipartisan support for the package.
“If you have any kind of a history of incarceration or any sort of conviction, the licensing boards have great latitude for denying your license application. What LB 16 says, is there ought to be a nexus or connection for excluding you from being able to pursue a license,” Ebke explained.
“LB 16 is a comprehensive rewrite of our occupational licensure reform law in Nebraska. This helps to address our state’s pressing needs when it comes to both workforce development and second chance employment,” said Senator Conrad during the press conference.
Finally, the bill also allows for interior design professionals to join a voluntary registry for their profession, which create guidelines and recognizes the profession to be of public interest.
LB 16 was approved in the Unicameral on a 42 -1 vote.
For more information on the Platte Institute, visit platteinstitute.org.