Other Legislative Highlights

As this issue of Liberty & Law makes clear, IJ ran the tables in state legislatures this year, securing important and sweeping reforms on issues ranging from qualified immunity to food freedom to occupational licensing. Here are a few other highlights from the 2020–2021 legislative session that advanced economic liberty:

• In Indiana, Kansas, and Kentucky, we successfully codified IJ’s recent U.S. Supreme Court victory in Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas. These states repealed laws that required aspiring business owners to live in a state—sometimes for years—before they could sell alcohol there.
• We helped Arkansas and Massachusetts repeal onerous cosmetology licensing requirements for hair braiding, shampooing, and hairstyling.
• In Montana and Tennessee, IJ helped to pass much-needed certificate of need reform involving hospitals and long-term care facilities.

It was a banner year for entrepreneurs—and for all Americans who simply want to be free to innovate, enter an occupation, and make choices about their own lives. Stay tuned for more in 2022!