Governor Fallin Wednesday took steps to make occupational licensing more efficient and consumer friendly for Oklahomans.
Fallin, in Executive Order 2018-02, directed the Oklahoma Department of Labor to become the central coordinating entity for the reporting of occupational licensing information from state agencies, boards and commissions.
The governor took the action after the Occupational Licensing Task Force, which she formed in December 2016, found Oklahoma lacks unified data available to policy makers and the public regarding occupational licensing.
“I commend the task force members led by Labor Commissioner Melissa Houston for their diligent efforts and report, which outlined these efficiency recommendations,” said Fallin.
One of the recommendations of the task force in its report issued last month is to continue the work of the task force by maintaining a centralized database for occupational licensing and to require all agencies, boards and commissions to report information to the database.
Fallin directed all state agencies, boards and commissions to identify all occupational licenses they issue and the requirements to obtain licenses. Agencies, boards and commissions are to report that and other information to the Labor Department by March 31.
“This central listing of state occupational licenses will provide a clear picture of how many licenses are offered and what the requirements are to receive one,” Fallin said. “This will help in determining whether the government by issuing certain licenses should be giving permission for people to work and earn a living. The state database will increase state licensing transparency and help remove unnecessary or burdensome regulations that are a barrier to potential workers.”
Fallin’s order also directs the chief information officer of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to provide technological support to the Labor Department for the occupational licensing database. The occupational licensing database shall be made available and accessible to the public on the internet.
