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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; With about 140 people gathered in the lobby of the Wilkes-Barre Area Career &amp; Technical Center on Thursday, Gov. Tom Wolf revealed his plans for job-licensing reform to cut red tape.</p><p>Wolf apologized for being late to the news conference, having spent time at the site of severe damage caused by Wednesday night&#8217;s EF-2 tornado.</p><p>&#8220;I can see that the community is banded together to make it whole again,&#8221; Wolf said of the post-storm recovery effort. &#8220;My lateness is in no way intended to diminish why I am here today.&#8221;</p><p>Building on his commitment to make state government more responsive to Pennsylvania&#8217;s growing economy, Wolf said he wants to eliminate licensing requirements for some professions.</p><p>&#8220;Pennsylvania must be a place where people can put their skills, experience and education to work,&#8221; Wolf said. &#8220;Requiring a government license to work in certain jobs helps to keep all of us safe, but those requirements should be fair.&#8221;</p><p>Wolf went on to say, &#8220;We must cut the red tape, reduce the bureaucracy and ensure overly burdensome rules and fees do not block hardworking people &#8212; especially our military spouses &#8212; from getting a good job, supporting their families and growing our economy.&#8221;</p><p>Nationwide, Wolf said the share of workers needing a license has grown five-fold since the early 1950s, with most of the increase occurring as states require more professions to be licensed. Today, one in five Pennsylvania workers needs a government license to do their job, representing more than 1 million workers.</p><p>&#8220;Over-licensing makes it harder for skilled workers to get into a profession, reducing their career opportunities and lowering their pay, while increasing costs to consumers,&#8221; Wolf said.</p><p><strong>Eliminate 13 job licenses</strong></p><p>Wolf called on the General Assembly to repeal 13 job licenses and replace them with less restrictive requirements that protect the public. The professions he&#8217;s targeting:</p><p>&#8226; Auctioneer &#8212; only require registration and bonding.</p><p>&#8226; Barbers &#8212; only require certification from a licensed barber school, passage of exam, minimum hours of training, and registration with the State Board of Barber Examiners.</p><p>&#8226; Cemetery broker/cemetery salesperson &#8212; only require passage of relevant exam, 60 hours of instruction and registration.</p><p>&#8226; Campground membership salesperson &#8212; only require registration with the State Real Estate Commission.</p><p>&#8226; Natural hair braiding license &#8212; eliminate this license.</p><p>&#8226; Orthotic fitter/orthotist/pedorthist/prosthetist &#8212; only require credentialing, passage of an education program, training, and minimum hours of training.</p><p>&#8226; Practitioner of Oriental medicine &#8212; maintain existing, but separate acupuncturist licensing requirement to protect public health and safety.</p><p>&#8226; Rental listing referral agent &#8212; only require registration with the State Real Estate Commission.</p><p>&#8226; Vehicle factory representative &#8212; only require registration with the State Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers, and Salespersons.</p><p>Wolf said licensing requirements can make it harder for workers to move across state lines, particularly for military spouses who have burdens transferring their license to Pennsylvania.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wolf </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_WolfMugforFront.cmyk_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wolf </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wolf at WBA career center to tout job-licensing reforms