U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after President Trump signed his New Hope and Opportunity through the Power of Employment Act (New HOPE Act) into law as part of a bill to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act:
“Texans pursuing a career with higher wages and more gratifying work shouldn’t be penalized by onerous and duplicative licensing requirements,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This law will give states the tools to revise these burdensome practices and reduce barriers to certain professions for Texas job-seekers.”
Senators Cornyn and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced the New HOPE Act, a bipartisan occupational licensing reform bill that will provide tools to help states decide if they want to eliminate or reduce burdensome licensing requirements that are serving as an impediment to job creation. Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) introduced the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Background on New HOPE Act:
Overly burdensome and unnecessary state licensing mandates can require an individual to first pay fees, complete education and training programs, and even sometimes pass exams before they can enter some of the very professions most suitable to giving them a chance at meaningful work. Many of these licenses have little grounding in protecting public safety. States should review these occupational licensing regulations to ensure they are promoting opportunity and fostering a regulatory climate that encourages entrepreneurship and job creation.
The bill provides additional authority to state governors receiving an existing, bipartisan appropriation of discretionary funds for career and technical education, giving them the discretion to use this money for the identification, consolidation, or elimination of licenses or certifications which provide limited consumer protection and pose an unnecessary barrier to entry for aspiring career and technical education workers.
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