Today, one out of every five Americans needs a license to work while 1 in 3 American adults has a criminal record. Since 2015, 29 states have reformed their occupational licensing laws to make it easier for ex-offenders to find work in state-licensed fields:

1. Arizona (enacted reforms in 2018 and 2019)
2. Arkansas
3. California (enacted two reforms in 2018)
4. Colorado
5. Connecticut 
6. Delaware
7. Florida
8. Georgia
9. Illinois (enacted several reforms in 2016 and 2017)
10. Indiana
11. Iowa 
12. Kansas
13. Kentucky
14. Louisiana 
15. Massachusetts
16. Maryland (enacted reforms in 2018 and 2019)
17. Mississippi
18. Nebraska
19. New Hampshire
20. New York 
21. North Carolina
22. Ohio
23. Oklahoma (enacted reforms in 2015 and 2019)
24. Tennessee (enacted reforms in 2016 and 2018)
25. Texas (enacted several reforms in 2019)
26. Utah
27. West Virginia 
28. Wisconsin
29. Wyoming

Among those reforms, 14 states allow ex-offenders to petition a licensing board at any time, including before enrolling in any required training, to determine if their record would be disqualifying:

1. Arizona
2. Arkansas
3. Indiana
4. Mississippi 
5. Nebraska
6. New Hampshire
7. North Carolina
8. Ohio
9. Oklahoma
10. Tennessee
11. Texas
12. Utah
13. West Virginia 
14. Wisconsin

In a similar vein, both Delaware and Kentucky guarantee applicants a hearing before denial, albeit at a later stage than states with petition processes.

Twelve states generally prevent licensing boards from using vague standards like “good moral character” or “moral turpitude” to deny licenses for ex-offenders:

1. Arkansas
2. California
3. Illinois
4. Indiana
5. Kansas
6. Kentucky
7. Mississippi 
8. North Carolina
9. Oklahoma
10. Washington
11. West Virginia
12. Wyoming

Likewise, three states—Delaware, Oklahoma, and Wyoming—removed moral character requirements from many of their licenses but did not enact an overarching ban.

Fifteen states ban boards from considering arrests that did not result in a conviction:

1. Arkansas
2. California
3. Colorado
4. Connecticut
5. Illinois
6. Indiana
7. Kansas
8. New Mexico
9. Michigan
10. Minnesota
11. New Hampshire
12. New York
13. Pennsylvania
14. Texas
15. Wisconsin

Seven states have instituted new reporting requirements:

1. Arizona
2. California
3. Florida
4. Illinois
5. Maryland
6. New Hampshire
7. North Carolina

Eighteen states block licensing boards from denying ex-offenders a license to work, unless the board determines that the applicant’s criminal record is “directly related” to the license sought:

1. Colorado
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. Illinois
5. Indiana
6. Kansas
7. Kentucky
8. Louisiana
9. Minnesota
10. Mississippi
11. New Hampshire
12. New Mexico
13. North Carolina
14. North Dakota
15. Tennessee
16. Texas
17. Washington
18. Wyoming