Eliminate Unreasonable Licensing Requirements: In America, we shouldn't need to obtain a costly permission slip from the government to go to work and provide for our families. Congress should do all in its power to make it easier for people to enter the workforce, not more difficult.
Eliminate unreasonable occupational licensing requirements and make it easier for people to enter the workforce.
Occurrences
Evidence
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Congress.gov lists Johnson as Speaker of the House and representative for Louisiana District 4 in the 115th-119th Congresses, 2017-present.
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The Treasury, CEA, and Labor report says licensing is mostly state-issued and recommends reducing unnecessary restrictions and increasing interstate recognition.
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EO 13966 set federal policy to reduce burdens from occupational regulation and directed agencies to review policies and recommend actions.
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Congress.gov records H.R.7939 as Public Law 117-333 and summarizes that it provides professional-license portability for relocated servicemembers and spouses.
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Section 19 added SCRA license portability so qualifying servicemembers and spouses can have covered licenses treated as valid after relocation.
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Congress.gov records H.R.5009 as Public Law 118-159, with final House and Senate action completed in December 2024.
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Section 587 revised SCRA portability, including temporary licenses; section 7104 added professional-license portability for Foreign Service members and spouses.
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EO 14036 identified overly restrictive licensing as a worker-mobility barrier and encouraged FTC consideration of unfair occupational licensing restrictions; the page notes later revocation.
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BLS 2025 annual averages report 35.257 million employed people with a license, 21.6 percent of employed workers.
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GovInfo lists H.R. 8210 as introduced April 6, 2026 and referred to the House Education and Workforce and Ways and Means committees. The bill text would have states evaluate occupational licensing policies and identify changes to remove or streamline licensing requirements and improve reciprocity.
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GovInfo bill text includes sections on temporary licensure requirements for VA contract health care professionals and licensure authority for health care professionals providing VA telemedicine across state lines.
Assessments
The broad promise to eliminate unreasonable occupational licensing requirements was not fully delivered at the federal level, especially because licensing remains widespread and is largely state-controlled. However, later federal actions did reduce licensing barriers for narrower groups, including servicemembers, spouses, Foreign Service families, and VA-related health care contexts. These are real but targeted portability and workforce-entry reforms, not a general elimination of unreasonable occupational licensing requirements. Johnson was serving in Congress during these later-term developments, including as Speaker for later legislation, but the evidence does not show he personally delivered a comprehensive reform.
The broad federal promise to eliminate unreasonable occupational licensing requirements was not fully delivered: licensing remained widespread in 2025 and much of the policy area is state-controlled. However, Congress enacted targeted federal portability reforms for servicemembers, spouses, and related populations through Public Law 117-333 and Public Law 118-159, including during Johnson's later House service and speakership. These measures reduced licensing barriers for narrow groups but did not amount to a general elimination of unreasonable occupational licensing requirements.