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.
US President Joe Biden announced who he intends to appoint to serve on the Community Development Advisory Board, which meets annually to advise on policies regarding the activities of the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions (CDFI) fund. The list of planned appointees includes Harrold Pettigrew, who previously served as the leading regulatory official for licensing and regulation as the Administrator for the Business and Professional Licensing Administration at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Read the complete White House announcement for more.
US workers dealing with the economic consequences of alleged labor law violations can expect settlements that better assist with the costs of training to acquire occupational licenses, according to a recent memo by the top lawyer at the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB). Jennifer Abruzzo, General Counsel at the NLRB, demanded regional officials include consequential damages as part of settlement deals, noting they should “skillfully craft settlement agreements that ensure the most full and effective relief is provided to those whose rights have been violated.” (Bloomberg Law)
Bureaucratic hurdles and long processing times are creating licensing delays that contribute to a labor shortage among rural Montana schools, according to Clark Fort Valley Press with support from The Hechinger Report. School leaders in the area are seeking more alternative licensing pathways for nontraditional teachers since the state processes license applications, renewals and upgrades every year with an outdated system, according to Lance Melton, the Montana School Boards Association’s Executive Director. Read the full story.
In a drive to recruit more health care workers into its northern communities, British Columbia is offering nurses and other medical professionals a variety of incentives including child care and housing support (Pique Newsmagazine). The province announced the $6.38 million in funding in a bid to combat labor shortages and get health care workers to move to (and stay in) the north, according to Health Minister Adrian Dix. The province has also recently mandated COVID-19 vaccination for all workers in the province’s health care sector.
A Department of the Air Force report card is facing criticism in Ohio, where a 2020 Senate bill requires state occupational licensing agencies to provide temporary licenses or certificates for members of the military and spouses who have been professionally licensed in another jurisdiction but have moved to Ohio for military duty. According to Stars and Stripes, lawmakers are defending the state, which they think unfairly received a “yellow” grade on the report card.
Idaho’s Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses has reported that it received a complaint that an unrefrigerated decomposing body was seen inside a Pocatello funeral home with another found in a body bag in one of the home’s vehicles. According to the Idaho State Journal, the funeral home’s current licenses and any rights to renew the licenses have been permanently revoked.
Also noteworthy:
• Stephen Zacks takes a deep dive into licensure for landscape architects in Virginia in Landscape Architecture Magazine.
• Doctors in Mississippi could lose their licenses for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. (WLOX)
• Hunters in Pennsylvania can now carry their licenses in a digital format. (York Dispatch)
