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.
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…
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…
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…
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,…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
FRESH START: Collateral Consequences in Occupational Licensing Act
A job is one of the best ways for people with criminal records not to re-offend. But many occupational licensing laws block or burden ex-offenders. Some licenses have morality clauses that (1) bar automatically and…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…