South Dakota lawmakers are rejecting the governor’s bill to allow a temporary license for practicing professionals who move from another state.
House Bill 1319 would establish compacts with several western states to grant licensed professionals a temporary license to work while they work toward accreditation in the member state they just moved to.
But the bill dies in the house.
In early January, Governor Dennis Daugaard and United States Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal calling for reform to occupational licensing.
It was billed as a compact that would lighten the regulatory burden for licensed professionals, like appraisers, or plumbers--who, if they moved to or from South Dakota to another member state, could receive a temporary license. The idea being those professionals could then pursue a permanent license while employed.
Standards for licensed professionals are approved by a board for that certain industry.
State Representative Leslie Heinemann is also a dentist in Flandreau. He says he didn’t see the need for the compact. He says many professions in South Dakota offer these temporary licenses already.
“We have credentialing in my profession,” Heinemann says. “That’s a very common thing. When I hire dentists and hygienists—and I’ve done that—generally they can get a license within 10 days. This ‘temporary’ compact didn’t provide for a better avenue for them to get their licensure, in my opinion.”
The idea for the compact was first introduced during the governor’s state of the state address. IT was a workforce development bill, an issue Daugaard has taken up a chair of the western governor’s association.
The governor’s office says he’s disappointed to see this bill defeated, but that he understands professionals are concerned about protecting their professions. He says the bill would have been a "good step to increase competition and attract more professionals to the state."
Forty-five members of the house voted against the bill.