The Week in Brief is Thentia’s weekly snapshot of regulatory news and what’s happening in the world of professional licensing, government technology, and public policy.
A committee in Indiana approved recommendations to have the state commence reciprocity agreements with other states on professional licensing, WFYI Indianapolis reports. The recommendations also urge state lawmakers to put about $700,000 towards the Professional Licensing Agency to upgrade technology. The recommendations still have to make their way into legislation, but advocates hope it will make state-to-state licensing easier.
An Alabama state representative has pre-filed the “Alabama Health Freedom Act” in a bid to nullify U.S. President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate which asks employers with over 100 workers to require vaccinations. The bill by Rep. Ritchie Whorton would make it illegal for “employers, places of public accommodation and occupational licensing boards to discriminate against individuals regardless of vaccination status,” Yellowhammer News reports.
A continuing education waiver extension will give dental professionals in California until March next year to finish their license renewal requirements. The extension only applies to dental professionals that have active licenses expiring in October 2021, according to the California Dental Association.
A Kaysville, Utah, chiropractor faces 10 felony charges after being accused of sexually abusing two female patients. Court documents show police are also investigating allegations made by four other women. Kenneth W. Pierce, 55, of Right Now! Chiropractic was arrested and booked into the Davis County Jail in Farmington after a woman reported she was sexually abused at the business in September, the Standard-Examiner reports.
A pub in Ontario can no longer serve alcohol as a result of breaking pandemic rules, CBC reports. The Kingston pub had openly flouted vaccine rules, putting the words “say no to vaccine passports” on its sign. An Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario press release states the operator’s liquor license is suspended and the agency will move to permanently remove it for public safety.
Elsewhere in Ontario, the Toronto city council has deferred a vote on the legalization of rooming houses. Mayor John Tory proposed the deferral of a new regulatory framework for rooming houses, CBC reports. Toronto’s current array of rules governing rooming houses (also known as multi-tenant houses) could be rewritten by a new regulatory framework that would create a licensing bylaw to replace the existing rules citywide and harmonize standards.
Also noteworthy:
• An argument in The Hill advocates reforming licensure requirements and looks at how to reduce recidivism and the labor shortage in one fell swoop.
• A guest column in The Cap Times calls for the reform of licensing requirement to address teacher shortages.
• Lawmakers can’t agree on a starting point for out-of-state professional licensure legislation.
