Today, one out of every five Americans needs a license to work while 1 in 3 American adults has a criminal record. Since 2015, 30 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. 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. Mississippi
19. Nebraska
20. New Hampshire
21. New York 
22. North Carolina
23. Ohio
24. Oklahoma (enacted reforms in 2015 and 2019)
25. Tennessee (enacted reforms in 2016 and 2018)
26. Texas (enacted several reforms in 2019)
27. Utah
28. West Virginia (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
29. Wisconsin
30. Wyoming

Sixteen 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. Idaho
4. Indiana
5. Iowa
6. Mississippi 
7. Nebraska
8. New Hampshire
9. North Carolina
10. Ohio
11. Oklahoma
12. Tennessee
13. Texas
14. Utah
15. West Virginia 
16. Wisconsin

Fourteen 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. Washington
14. West Virginia

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

Sixteen 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. Iowa
8. Kansas
9. New Mexico
10. Michigan
11. Minnesota
12. New Hampshire
13. New York
14. Pennsylvania
15. Texas
16. 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

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