In a legislative session that lacked legislative action, there was a small piece of good news tucked into a large bill concerning occupational licensing.
House Bill 2149 passed the Missouri Legislature this session and, among other things, the bill establishes Missouri as part of the Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact. I discussed this idea multiple times while it moved through the legislature as a part of various bills. Luckily, an early problem that I pointed out in the bill text (that the language seemed to override licensing reciprocity) was corrected in the final version that awaits the governor’s consideration.
If signed by the governor, Missourians will be able to benefit from licensing reciprocity and this license compact, expanding options for consumers and workers. Occupational licensing often creates arbitrary barriers for workers and raises prices for consumers, so it’s encouraging to see the legislature reducing these negative effects. Perhaps next year we will see even larger movement in the form of a sunset provision for other occupational licenses and reforms allowing greater use of telemedicine in Missouri.
