{"id":477,"date":"2023-02-09T13:22:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T14:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=477"},"modified":"2023-02-21T21:27:51","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T21:27:51","slug":"analysis-republicans-approve-audit-to-address-state-licensing-delays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=477","title":{"rendered":"Analysis: Republicans approve audit to address state licensing delays"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/republicans-approve-audit-to-address-state-licensing-delays\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Thousands of Wisconsinites impacted by department backlog<\/em><\/h5>\n

Dogged by a huge backlog for occupational licenses and complaints by applicants and lawmakers, Wisconsin\u2019s Department of Safety and Professional Services must submit to an audit of its operations.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Stacks<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

An all-Republican majority of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted Tuesday to direct the Legislative Audit Bureau to examine an agency that fields between 5,000 and 10,000 calls every week. The LAB website projects the expected release of the audit in fall 2023.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dozens of applicants and leaders of trade associations representing licensed professions have been frustrated by months-long licensing delays, long lapses in communication and requests for materials that applicants had already submitted.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

The delays force would-be workers to sit on the sidelines after they graduate or move to Wisconsin from another state, unable to work in their field, serve others with their skills or earn paychecks commensurate with their education and experience.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

But there is a bigger, systemic issue the Badger Institute has documented for years. Wisconsin requires hundreds of occupations<\/a> to be licensed, a trend that has grown dramatically in recent decades. There are now more than 200 credentialing requirements that aspiring workers must secure from the state before they can practice their occupations.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

The delays are preventing people from working who likely could work with less restrictive or no certification. It\u2019s hard to justify months-long licensing delays for desperately needed physical and mental health professionals when DSPS is also processing licenses for auctioneers, landscape architects, manicurists and\u202fbutter makers. The Legislature should consider alternatives to licensing these occupations or\u202feliminate such requirements altogether.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

A good place to start would be occupations licensed in Wisconsin but not in other states. Wisconsin is one of only 12 states to require bartenders<\/a> to secure a license. If bartenders don\u2019t need state permission in Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan, do they really need a license in the Badger State?<\/p>\n

Several states use sunset laws to determine if licensing is justified for protecting the health and safety of residents \u2014 the reason for licensing an occupation. If these reviews demonstrate that a license is not or is no longer justified, lawmakers can say no to a new license and remove existing ones\u202ffrom the books.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wisconsin should follow the lead of 18 other states that have over the past five years changed their laws to allow professionals moving from others states to continue working with the licenses they got from those states.\u00a0 Not only would this lessen Wisconsin\u2019s licensing burden, but it would encourage workers to move here. \u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents across Wisconsin have raised concerns about their inability to obtain a license timely in order to gain employment or move up the ladder of current employment,\u201d committee co-chair Rep. Robert Wittke (R-Racine) told the Badger Institute. \u201cAs we struggle with worker shortages, it is clear that a better and more efficient licensing process would benefit workers and employers. The common notion that we should grow government and all the issues will be resolved just doesn\u2019t cut it if systems and internal processes don\u2019t work.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis audit is an important step to better understand where and how DSPS functions and to help provide insight for improving their customer service to licensees across Wisconsin.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe department is currently issuing more licenses, more quickly than ever before,\u201d DSPS Secretary Dan Hereth told committee members. \u201cIn particular, we have seen significant improvement in average processing times of applications over the past 12 months.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

State auditor Joe Chrisman told the committee Tuesday the audit would begin with the formation of DSPS in 2011. Among other things, Chrisman said an audit could:\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n