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:
- Arizona (enacted reforms in 2018, 2019, and 2021)
- Arkansas
- California (enacted two reforms in 2018)
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois (enacted several reforms in 2016 and 2017)
- Indiana
- Iowa (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland (enacted reforms in 2018 and 2019)
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2021)
- Oklahoma (enacted reforms in 2015 and 2019)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee (enacted reforms in 2016 and 2018)
- Texas (enacted several reforms in 2019)
- Utah (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
- West Virginia (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
- Wisconsin
- 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:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Sixteen states generally prevent licensing boards from using vague standards like “good moral character” or “moral turpitude” to deny licenses for ex-offenders:
- Arkansas
- California
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Washington
- 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:
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- Ohio
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Utah
- 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:
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- Washington
- Wyoming
Ten states, plus Washington, D.C. have instituted new reporting requirements:
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Illinois
- Maryland
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island