Columbus, OH – As the Ohio House General Government Committee begins its review of Ohio occupational licenses, The Buckeye Institute issued its fourth Opening Doors policy brief, where it identified 39 licenses that the state should eliminate or reform to make Ohio more economically competitive and make it easier for people to earn a living. Since 2019, Ohio has eliminated or reduced requirements for nearly 100 licenses based on The Buckeye Institute’s recommendations.

“To assist lawmakers in their review of Ohio’s occupational licenses, The Buckeye Institute’s examination has identified 39 licenses that the state can eliminate or reform,” said Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute and author of the Opening Doors series. “Doing so would make Ohio more economically competitive and end the ‘permission-slip’ policies that make it difficult for people to earn a living in the Buckeye State.”

In its review of the same licenses that the Ohio House General Government Committee is reviewing, The Buckeye Institute identified 19 license or certification requirements that lawmakers can eliminate and another 20 requirements that lawmakers can modify to align them with requirements imposed in neighboring states—Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. 

Under The Buckeye Institute-championed policies in Senate Bill 255, Ohio lawmakers must review and renew Ohio occupational licensing boards at least once every six years, or they will automatically expire.

# # #