Wendy Doyle, President and CEO of Women's Foundation and Zoraya Rowlands, Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion of JE Dunn Construction watch as Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs House Bill 2046.
Today, pointing to research showing state licensing requirements have a disproportionate impact on women, Women’s Foundation applauded the passage of House Bill 2046, which expands Missouri's current licensure reciprocity rules to apply to occupations including nursing, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and cosmetology, among others, and also makes it easier for professionals licensed in other states to become licensed in Missouri.
“Moving across state lines shouldn’t mean losing your ability to earn a living, but that’s the reality many families face as a result of a patchwork of burdensome licensing requirements,” said Wendy Doyle, Women’s Foundation President & CEO. “Our research shows that women are disproportionately affected when professional licensing requirements can’t be transferred from state to state. We thank Governor Parson, bill sponsor Representative Grier and senate handler Senator Bernskoetter for their commitment to helping women in Missouri achieve their economic potential and removing the harmful barriers that hold them back.”
Women’s Foundation research found that:
In the US, in 2015, employed women were more likely to hold a certification or license than employed men (28.1% and 23.2%, respectively).
The occupations in which workers are most likely to have a certification or license were healthcare and technical occupations (76.9 %), legal occupations (68.1 %), and education, training, and library occupations (55.5%). Many of these are women-dominated professions.
Women are more likely to fill jobs in human service occupations, like teaching, management or nursing professions, which have more geographic flexibility than male dominated professions like science or engineering. Because occupations traditionally held by women have a wider array of locations than traditionally male-dominated jobs, women are more likely to move for their partner’s profession.
“I am honored to make it easier for health care and other professionals to bring their skills and expertise to our state while boosting our health care capacity at this critical time,” Governor Parson said. “Signing HB 2046 will have a positive impact for women and families, and place Missouri in a leadership position to further develop economic growth and create opportunities for licensed professionals in our state.”
In April 2020, Women’s Foundation worked with Governor Parson in passing HB 1511 and HB1452, which allowed military spouses to move to Missouri without losing their professional licenses from other states. In 2018, the Women’s Foundation worked with the General Assembly to pass SB 843, which waived licensing fees for military families and low-income Missourians.
Women’s Foundation also supported passage of legislation to allow those seeking to pursue a career in hair braiding to complete an online video and obtain a certificate of registration. Previously, hair braiders had to complete over 1,000 hours of training for a cosmetology license, even though the training did not include hair braiding skills.
Women’s Foundation research into occupational licensing and reciprocity was prepared by the Institute of Public Policy in the University of Missouri’s Truman School of Public Affairs.