Homeless in Arizona

Sounds like a good idea to me. Let's get rid of all these silly government licensing requirements.

Whenever the government licenses an industry, it usually just creates a government monopoly for the special interest groups in the industry so they can shut out the competition and drive up prices. And screw consumers with their sanctioned government monopoly.

Licensing is almost always bad for the consumer and almost always drives up prices.

With licensing usually the special interest groups whom the licensing is supposed to protect us from, end up setting the licensing standards, which usually protect THEM, not the public.

Licensing also creates large government bureaucracies that stifle competition and drive up prices with unnecessary taxes and regulations.

You want to see how licensing f*cks up things, just look at Prop 203 and the medical marijuana industry.

Prop 203 or the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act created a cartel of a measly 85 or so medical marijuana dispensaries that sell us medical marijuana at the rip off price of $300+ an ounce.

Of course on the unlicensed black market you can by marijuana for $50 an ounce which is one sixth the price set by the licensed and regulated cartel of 85 or so medical marijuana dealers. And you can buy it from literally thousands of unlicensed black market dealers who will bend over to make you happy.

Source

Arizona bill would kill licensing requirements for a host of professionals, from yoga instructors to geologists

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Republic | azcentral.com 5:33 a.m. MST February 25, 2016

Todd Briggs is at the height of his career as a landscape architect.

After years at a larger firm, he started his own business. He has challenging projects, including one to redesign a portion of the banks of the Rio Salado, and another to create a comfortable space where students at an Arizona State University dorm can socialize and study.

But he fears his career in Arizona may now be in jeopardy.

Lawmakers are advancing House Bill 2613, a proposal by Gov. Doug Ducey, to abolish state licenses for landscape architects, food-packing contractors, geologists, driving-school teachers, yoga instructors and assayers, who test materials to determine their pureness. The legislation also repeals licensing for people who do cremations.

Ducey has vowed to make it easier to enter the workforce, saying licenses are required for too many jobs, stifling competition and job growth. The licensing requirements have created a “maze of bureaucracy for small-business people looking to earn an honest living," he said in his State of the State address.

But critics say licenses were required for a reason: to ensure those who identify themselves as professionals have met minimum industry standards, and to protect consumers from unscrupulous operators.

Without state licenses, Briggs said, landscape architects licensed in other states could gobble up Arizona contracts. Contracts with state and local governments could be threatened because the agreements require state licensing, which also is a requirement for liability insurance, he said.

"The licenses ensure we meet a minimum requirement for safety," said Briggs, of central Phoenix. "That's why we are licensed. We have an educational background, an experienced background and we've been able to prove through licensure that we understand all the dynamics related to safety."

HB 2613 would also direct the Department of Administration to study transferring state regulatory boards — except those that affect health-related professions — to a new division with the Department of Administration. Currently, many of the boards operate independently and Ducey staffers say they've discovered duplicative and questionable expenses.

The bill is advancing through the state Legislature over the protests of dozens who packed a hearing room at the state Capitol this month, with one exception: Yoga instructors are supporting it. No driving instructors or their representatives have spoken for or against the bill.

Those opposed to the legislation have warned de-licensing could expose the public to unscrupulous workers and unsafe public spaces. They also argue it could create problems for Arizona businesses that rely on state licensing to work on projects in other states, and for insurance.

It could jeopardize food safety, said Shelly Tunis, who represents the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association.

Arizona is the second-largest producer of lettuce and leafy greens in the U.S., producing and shipping 3.4 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables last year, according to the Citrus, Fruit and Vegetable Advisory Council, which is urging Ducey to keep requirements for packer licenses in place.

Without licenses for food-packing contractors, which train workers on food-safety practices, Tunis said it would be nearly impossible to quickly locate the source of food-borne illnesses. When there are outbreaks of illnesses such as E. coli and Lysteria, for example, state and federal health officials trace them to the point of origin in the food supply.

"I'll get right down to it: The concern is food safety," Tunis said, during testimony at the House Commerce Committee on Feb. 17. "We need to know everybody who touches that fruit and vegetable as it goes along the line, and that starts with the people that put it in the box. This license helps with trace-back."

Asked how health officials would be able to discover the origin of the diseases without licenses, Tunis said, "I guess you would start calling around asking (companies) who might be involved."

Landscape architects and geologists, who showed up in force to testify against the legislation, said the bill would limit their ability to land jobs that require state licensing — a sign to many employers of professionalism and standards.

But Rep. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, who introduced the legislation, argued licensed professionals in those fields, and any other, can still be dishonest or unskilled. If problems arise, he said, they can be settled through civil court proceedings. Unhappy customers could also write reviews on popular sites such as Yelp or Angie's List.

Petersen explained the legislation requires those who want to use titles or insignia to tout professional services would still have to meet certain criteria. They would have to have a certificate of qualification from a national bureau of registration or certification or a degree from an accredited institution in the field.

"This is not like it's going from level 10 regulation to level 0 regulation. We're dialing it down," Petersen told the crowd. "There's laws on the books. You break laws on the books, a court will punish you. If you break a criminal law, a police officer is going to arrest you. So, I mean, it's not like there's no recourse whatsoever. Plus, you have your free-market recourse, which are: Bad people go out of business. Bad people get sued. Bad people have liability."

Petersen said professionals who say they need Arizona licenses to qualify for projects outside of Arizona can apply for licenses from those states instead of Arizona's Board of Technical Registration.

That board licenses a variety of professions, including engineers, architects and land surveyors. The executive director of the board said 912 landscape architects, 1,057 geologists and 24 assayers were licensed as of February. Arizona is the only state to license assayers.

Prior to the hearing, Gretchen Martinez, Ducey's director of legislative affairs, told The Arizona Republic the state is the "second-most licensed" in the nation, according to a report by the Virginia-based Institute for Justice, a Libertarian group that litigates to limit the size and scope of government. Excessive licensing could prevent some workers from entering their fields, Martinez contends. Since many professionals are certified by national industry groups, she said, it is "duplicative" for the state to issue licenses.

"A state-issued rubber-stamp can sometimes provide a false sense of security," for consumers, she added.

Rep. Jay Lawrence, R-Scottsdale, in pushing back against the argument licensing could prevent bad actors from being hired, said it was up to those employing them to determine the caliber of their work.

"Let the buyer beware: The buyer must understand — look at all the work that's been done before," he said. "Be aware that you're dealing with someone incapable — or a moron — just by looking at all the things they've done before."

Rep. Stephanie Mach, D-Tucson, who voted against the bill, said she was troubled by the "drastic changes." There are "many consumer protections" that would be eliminated with the legislation, she said.

"I do think there are safety concerns, there are property-loss concerns, there are many consumer protections that would be eliminated by having this go forward," Mach said.

Rene Guillen, a Ducey policy adviser, said governor's staffers will continue to work with stakeholders to address some concerns raised by opponents. But, he said, legislation that ensures the right level of government oversight while alleviating government regulatory industries is necessary.

The bill won approval on a 5-3 vote by the House Commerce committee on party lines.

Follow the reporter on Twitter @yvonnewingett and reach her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.