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 
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

Fifteen 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. Mississippi 
6. Nebraska
7. New Hampshire
8. North Carolina
9. Ohio
10. Oklahoma
11. Tennessee
12. Texas
13. Utah
14. West Virginia 
15. Wisconsin

Thirteen 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. Kansas
7. Kentucky
8. Minnesota
9. Mississippi 
10. New York
11. North Carolina
12. Washington
13. West Virginia

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