Today, one out of every five Americans needs a license to work while 1 in 3 American adults has a criminal record. Since 2015, 34 states and Washington, D.C. 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, 2019, and 2021)
2. Arkansas
3. California (enacted two reforms in 2018)
4. Colorado
5. Connecticut 
6. Delaware
7. Florida
8. Georgia
9. Idaho
10. Illinois (enacted several reforms in 2016 and 2017)
11. Indiana
12. Iowa (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
13. Kansas
14. Kentucky
15. Louisiana 
16. Massachusetts
17. Maryland (enacted reforms in 2018 and 2019)
18. Michigan
19. Mississippi
20. Missouri
21. Nebraska
22. New Hampshire
23. New York 
24. North Carolina
25. Ohio (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2021)
26. Oklahoma (enacted reforms in 2015 and 2019)
27. Pennsylvania
28. Rhode Island
29. Tennessee (enacted reforms in 2016 and 2018)
30. Texas (enacted several reforms in 2019)
31. Utah (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
32. West Virginia (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
33. Wisconsin
34. Wyoming

Seventeen states, plus Washington, D.C., 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. Idaho
4. Indiana
5. Iowa
6. Mississippi 
7. Missouri
8. Nebraska
9. New Hampshire
10. North Carolina
11. Ohio
12. Oklahoma
13. Tennessee
14. Texas
15. Utah
16. West Virginia 
17. Wisconsin

Sixteen 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. Idaho
4. Illinois
5. Indiana
6. Iowa
7. Kansas
8. Kentucky
9. Minnesota
10. Mississippi 
11. New York
12. North Carolina
13. Ohio
14. Pennsylvania
15. Washington
16. West Virginia

Likewise, five states—Delaware, Missouri, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as the District of Columbia—removed moral character requirements from many of their licenses but did not enact an overarching ban.

Eighteen states and Washington, D.C. 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. Iowa
8. Kansas
9. Michigan
10. Minnesota
11. New Hampshire
12. New Mexico
13. New York
14. Ohio
15. Rhode Island
16. Texas
17. Utah
18. Wisconsin

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia 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. Iowa
7. Kansas
8. Kentucky
9. Michigan
10. Minnesota
11. Mississippi
12. New Hampshire
13. New Mexico
14. North Dakota
15. Ohio
16. Tennessee
17. Washington
18. Wyoming

Ten states, plus Washington, D.C. have instituted new reporting requirements:

1. Arizona
2. California
3. Florida
4. Illinois
5. Maryland
6. New Hampshire
7. North Carolina
8. Ohio
9. Pennsylvania
10. Rhode Island

For more information on individual state laws, read IJ’s Barred from Working: A Nationwide Study of Occupational Licensing Barriers for Ex-Offenders.