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Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, alongside Georgia’s congressional Democrats, Reps.  Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Lucy McBath (GA-07), sent a letter urging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to take executive action to address ongoing issues plaguing the state’s occupational licensing system.

“Georgia workers and businesses rely on occupational licensing for job qualifications and to ensure the skills of individuals providing key services across the state,” said Congressman David Scott. “The current system forces applicants to jump through unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles and fails to provide denied applicants with a fair mechanism to appeal a decision. The Secretary has the authority to improve the system by removing barriers to entry, increasing transparency in the application process, and by creating uniform standards by which all applicants can be judged fairly. Changes will ensure Georgia grows its licensed workforce while businesses keep their doors open.”

Currently, Georgia relies on 42 state licensing boards to certify employment in fields such as health care, veterinary care, accounting, cosmetology, transportation, and constructing, among others. Though certification in these fields is a public necessity, the criteria and application processes are unevenly applied, often difficult to navigate, and intimidating to initiate. These obstacles are particularly pronounced for formerly incarcerated individuals. State boards can apply subjective standards such as “good moral character” or “moral turpitude” to deny applicants on the basis of an expunged, pardoned, or first-time offense. Boards are able to render denials with little explanation and applicants lack a standardized, accessible appeals mechanism.

The current licensing system is limiting Georgia’s workforce expansion as applicants seek employment in neighboring states with more transparent licensing processes. Among its recommendations, the letter urges SOS Raffensperger to:

·         provide denied applicants with a venue in which to appeal a state licensing board’s decision with documentation and in writing;

·         establish a petition process to let applicants know the likelihood of their application being denied before they spend time and resources on trainings, education, or exams;

·         prevent state licensing boards from using vague standards like “good moral character” or “moral turpitude” to deny licenses for ex-offenders; and

·         adopt stronger data collection practices to better record the number of applicant denials, reasons for denials, and other aggregate data points—to be published in a publicly accessible forum.

The text of the letter can be found HERE.