Today, one out of every five Americans needs a license to work while 1 in 3 American adults has a criminal record. Since 2015, 33 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. Missouri
20. Nebraska
21. New Hampshire
22. New York 
23. North Carolina
24. Ohio
25. Oklahoma (enacted reforms in 2015 and 2019)
26. Pennsylvania
27. Tennessee (enacted reforms in 2016 and 2018)
28. Texas (enacted several reforms in 2019)
29. Utah (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
30. West Virginia (enacted reforms in 2019 and 2020)
31. Wisconsin
32. Wyoming
33. Rhode Island

Seventeen 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. Missouri
8. Nebraska
9. New Hampshire
10. North Carolina
11. Ohio
12. Oklahoma
13. Tennessee
14. Texas
15. Utah
16. West Virginia 
17. Wisconsin

Fifteen 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. Pennsylvania
14. Washington
15. West Virginia

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

Seventeen 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. Michigan
10. Minnesota
11. New Hampshire
12. New Mexico
13. New York
14. Rhode Island
15. Texas
16. Utah
17. Wisconsin

Nine states have instituted new reporting requirements:

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

Sixteen 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. Iowa
7. Kansas
8. Kentucky
9. Minnesota
10. Mississippi
11. New Hampshire
12. New Mexico
13. North Dakota
14. Tennessee
15. Washington
16. Wyoming

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