Model Legislation

Economic Liberty | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project

Housing Opportunities Made Easier (HOME) Act

The housing shortage is problem that can be significantly solved with one change. Scholars, state legislators and municipal officials from different backgrounds agree that a crucial component to increasing supply is to reform zoning laws.

Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act

Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing

Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act

Occupational licenses often are barriers to worker mobility. One state will not recognize another state’s license because personal qualifications differ. And even when some recognition is included in statutes, state laws often impose significant costs—in…

Sunrise & Sunset Occupational Licensing Review Act

Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing

Sunrise & Sunset Occupational Licensing Review Act

Occupational licensing is one the biggest issues in labor economics today. About 25% of workers needs a government-issued license to work. That represents a five-fold increase since the 1950s, when only about 5% of workers…

Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing

Military Families Licensing Recognition Act 

The process of transferring an occupational license from one state to another can be daunting, time-consuming, and frustrating. This is especially true for military service members, who frequently relocate due to deployments. It’s not just…

Niche-Beauty Services Opportunity Act

Cosmetology | Economic Liberty

Niche-Beauty Services Opportunity Act

Hairstyling salons, often referred to as “blow dry bars,” are gaining popularity nationwide. They offer fewer services than traditional cosmetology salons, focusing on shampooing, blow drying, and styling, while excluding haircuts or chemical treatments. These…

Occupational Licensing Relief and Job Creation Act

Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing

Occupational Licensing Relief and Job Creation Act

About a fifth of the American workforce must get a permission slip from the government—known as an occupational license—to legally work in their chosen occupations. Getting a license can be costly and time-consuming, requiring fees,…

Salon Inspection Act: Regulate Salons—Free People

Cosmetology | Economic Liberty

Salon Inspection Act: Regulate Salons—Free People

The beauty industry offers great opportunities for work and entrepreneurship. However, states erect roadblocks by requiring barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians and nail technicians to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to attend schools and…

Occupational Regulation Defense Act

Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing

Occupational Regulation Defense Act

Occupational licensing is under increasing scrutiny. Groups as ideologically diverse as the Obama White House, the Trump Administration’s Federal Trade Commission, the Brookings Institution, the National Conference of State Legislators and the Institute for Justice, have…

Mobile Food Vendor Freedom Act

Economic Liberty | Vending

Mobile Food Vendor Freedom Act

Everyone benefits from food trucks. With low start-up costs, food trucks offer first-time entrepreneurs the opportunity to experiment, accumulate capital and build businesses. For established restauranteurs, they are a means to expand, build their brands…

Home-Based Business and Occupation Act

Economic Liberty | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project

Home-Based Business and Occupation Act

The pre-COVID custom of Americans living in one place but working from another is historically unusual. As one scholar noted, “the phenomenon of leaving home to go to work did not become the norm until…

Food Freedom Act

Economic Liberty | Food Freedom

Food Freedom Act

Selling homemade food is a great way for entrepreneurs with big dreams but little capital to start a business. Working from their homes, they can avoid spending tens of thousands of dollars on commercial kitchen space.

Eyebrow Threader Opportunity and Freedom Act

Cosmetology | Economic Liberty

Eyebrow Threader Opportunity and Freedom Act

Eyebrow threading is an ancient grooming technique that dates back thousands of years to parts of South Asia and the Middle East. Using only a simple cotton thread to form loops as they work, threaders…

Natural Hair Braiding Opportunity and Freedom Act

Economic Liberty | Hair Braiding

Natural Hair Braiding Opportunity and Freedom Act

African-style hair braiding has been a safe and enduring practice for millennia. Today, it presents opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially in African-American and African immigrant communities, enabling them to own businesses, promote their cultural heritage, and…

Mobile Food Vendor Freedom Municipal Ordinance

Economic Liberty | Vending

Mobile Food Vendor Freedom Municipal Ordinance

Starting a food truck has helped many entrepreneurs realize the American dream. These mobile kitchens create jobs and provide an economic boost to the communities they serve. Unfortunately, many counties and cities make it near…

Animal Husbandry Workers Freedom & Opportunity Act

Occupational Licensing

Animal Husbandry Workers Freedom & Opportunity Act

Animal husbandry is a specialty in agriculture and animal science. It focuses on breeding and care of farm animals, including cows, pigs, chickens, sheep and horses. Workers play a crucial role in maintaining the health…