Governor Ducey, Pres. Trump meet, discuss occupational licensing

Governor Doug Ducey (R-AZ) met with President Donald Trump at the White House last week to discuss Arizona’s leadership in occupational licensing reform.

Trump applauded Ducey for leading the way on licensing reform.

“Earlier this year, a gentleman named Governor Doug Ducey —my friend— signed a law into existence. Universal licensing recognition which accepts occupational licenses granted in many states” Trump said.

“We’ve really been focused on licensing reform in the state of Arizona. We want to make the state a place of opportunity for all,” Ducey said.

Thirty percent of jobs require a state-issued license, and not having universal recognition of licensing puts a significant barrier on a worker’s ability to move to another state.

Earlier this year, Arizona became the first state to recognize out-of-state occupational licenses with the passage House Bill 2569. The law allows anyone with an out-of-state occupational license or certificate in good standing for at least one year to obtain an equivalent license in Arizona without taking an exam.

“With this bill, Arizona’s sending a clear message to people across the country: if you’re moving to Arizona, there’s an opportunity waiting for you here,” Ducey said at the bill signing in April.

H.B. 2569 is an expansion of a 2011 law that allowed military spouses to more easily receive an Arizona occupational license or certificate if they demonstrated expertise in that profession in another state.

“We began with military spouses, trailing military spouses would often be in a position where they couldn’t enter the workforce because their license wasn’t recognized,” Ducey added at the White House meeting. “We had great success with that, and we wanted to expand it so we moved onto what we call universal recognition of occupational licensing. Not only is our economy booming right now, but our state is growing. We have people coming from all over the country and they don’t lose their skills when they pack up a U-Haul truck and come to Arizona.”

From July 1, 2017, and July 1, 2018, more than 122,000 people moved to Arizona. The state also saw a variety of businesses moving in or expanding operations last year because of the business-friendly climate.

You don’t lose your skills when you move across state lines. Excited to share about how Arizona’s reducing barriers to employment with important reforms like recognizing out-of-state licenses @WhiteHouse #OpenForOpportunity #OpportunityForAll pic.twitter.com/nudFujrtrq

— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) June 13, 2019

“I applaud Governor Ducey and I always have, he’s doing a fantastic job in a fabulous state. Arizona, you’re doing good [in] pioneering the change and we hope that other states are going to follow Arizona’s lead. You really have been at the forefront and we appreciate, we really appreciate that,” Trump said.

Ducey’s invitation to the White House is not the first time the state’s occupational reform has received national praise.

In April, Ivanka Trump, adviser to the president, praised Gov. Ducey and the Arizona Legislature on twitter for their efforts to cut red tape.

“Awesome leadership by Gov. Doug Ducey and state lawmakers for passing a bill that grants universal recognition for all occupational licenses in the state of Arizona,” she tweeted. “Excessive occupational licensing harms economic mobility and hurts low-income workers. I hope other states follow!”

Awesome leadership by Gov @dougducey + state lawmakers for passing a bill that grants universal recognition for all occupational licenses in the state of Arizona.

Excessive occupational licensing harms economic mobility and hurts low-income workers.

I hope other states follow! https://t.co/ktWZkY3Yv6

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 5, 2019

The discussion at the White House also featured Governors Mark Gordon (R-WY), David Ige (D-HI), Brian Kemp (R-GA), Bill Lee (R-TN), Kim Reynolds (R-IA), Chris Sununu (R-NH) and Tom Wolf (D-PA).

“Just like I learned from many of the ladies and gentlemen around the table here, governors take good ideas and reapply them. Everyone here is welcome to take this idea and reapply it in your state,” Ducey said.