On Feb. 26, I wrote about my concerns with Gov. Sununu’s proposed licensing reform in the budget he presented to the legislature. His proposal was to eliminate 34 licenses,14 regulatory boards and nearly 700 statutory provisions. While some of the licenses required were for professionals whose need for licensing did seem a little like overreach, other professions such as a medical technician, nuclear medicine technologist and cardiac electrophysiology specialist were also on the governor’s chopping block.
Since the proposal, House members heard from their constituents, many of them in the license targeted professions, who voiced their concerns and strong opposition. For example, several landscape architects contended that removing the license would be hazardous to public safety. These are the professionals who, among other things, control erosion and plan where buildings and roads will be located. In addition, they would not be able to bid on public projects without a license.
On Monday, the House Finance Committee declined the proposal opting to remove instead only three required licenses, an athlete agent, hawkers and peddlers, and itinerant vendors. However, when the entire house takes up the budget next week, they could bring back the governor’s proposed licensing reforms. Or, if the House decides not to consider it, the proposal could be sent on to the Senate, where the senators could decide to bring the proposal back for their consideration.
One of the points to this article is that sometimes constituent concerns that are voiced to lawmakers can and do make a difference! Let’s not stop doing that. If you would like to make your voice heard on this issue or any other and are unsure who represents you, follow this link: The New Hampshire House of Representatives (state.nh.us)
To contact your senator, follow this link: New Hampshire State Senate
Even though they scrubbed three of the 34 proposed licenses, the House gave the go-ahead to now license musical therapists and recreational scuba divers who want to catch lobsters.