Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Ben Sasse of Nebraska have teamed up to challenge the issue of occupational licensing, which refers to the state and local rules that require job seekers to obtain approval from the government before he or she can start working in that profession.
Most agree that jobs that deal directly with public health and safety should require some sort of license to do.
However, a 2015 study conducted by the White House Council of Economic Advisers found that the share of the U.S. workforce needing a license to work increased five-fold from 1950 to 2008.
In the District of Columbia, for example, someone looking to work as a shoe shiner must attain four different licenses and pay at least $337 to get those licenses.
Sasse and Lee introduced legislation aimed at targeting occupational licensing in D.C., and they hope their bill will provide a model for states to roll back licensing requirements on some professions.
The Daily Signal talked with Sasse about occupational licensing and found out why he believes for some jobs, you shouldn’t need a license to work.
