State legislation on occupational licensure and certification
This year, states introduced legislation that would restrict occupational licensing and certification. There seems to be a concerted effort by organizations against occupational licensing, which is negatively impacting professional certification. Now, the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management’s (IAHCSMM’s) advocacy efforts are focused on occupational certifications, not occupational licensing. Two states had legislation to restrict occupational certifications.
Louisiana introduced legislation that would have prohibited the use of any private organizations’ certifications. This means that if an individual held any of IAHCSMM’s certifications, they would have been prohibited to use them. Interestingly, this bill was not introduced with this prohibitive language; it was inserted into the bill on the House floor. IAHCSMM joined a coalition of 45 organizations that hired a lobbyist to oppose the language in the bill. IAHCSMM drafted a letter of opposition to the Senate Committee and had members respond to an action alert in the state. Due to our collaborative approach, we were successful in removing prohibitive language. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to everyone in Louisiana who sent letters to their Senators.
Missouri had two bills that would require the state government to grant certifications to qualified individuals. This means that upon government approval, an individual could use the term “certified” in his/her title. The same coalition used in Louisiana did not have enough time to respond to the Missouri bills because we were not alerted to these bills until after both bills had successfully passed the legislature. IAHCSMM had members respond to an action alert that asked the Governor to veto the bills. Many thanks to everyone in Missouri who sent letters to the Governor’s office. Unfortunately, we were not successful in obtaining a veto and the bills were signed into law. We are working with other organizations to have legislation introduced next session to amend these laws.
Ohio has two bills of concern, although the bills are not specific to certifications. One bill would abolish all occupational licensing agencies within five years, unless an agency establishes that their “authority is narrowly tailored to protect against present, recognizable and significant harms to the health, safety and welfare of the public.” Another bill does not mention certification but would mandate that every state agency “reduce the total number of regulatory restrictions by thirty percent.” Both bills successfully passed the Senate and are expected to be taken up by the House before the end of the year.
IAHCSMM will continue to monitor this type of legislation. Central Service/Sterile Processing professionals should know that the Association is doing everything possible to protect the use of their certifications.
