Sunrise Reviews and Right-Sizing Occupational Regulation

The Institute for Justice, a non-profit, public interest law firm, has released a new study, Too Many Licenses? Government “Sunrise” Reviews Cast Doubt on Barriers to Work. The report examines 30 years’ worth of sunrise reviews and draws lessons for licensing policy. Sunrise laws task government agencies with reviewing licensing proposals using criteria such as whether there is proof of harm from an occupation, whether benefits of licensing would outweigh costs, and whether public safety could be better protected in a less burdensome or restrictive way. Listen to CLEAR's June podcast episode (listen here June 14) to learn about common features of sunrise review programs, details of the IJ’s research of nearly 500 sunrise reviews, and the keys to conducting strong sunrise reviews. Then join us for this webinar to dive deeper into what the research and experience can tell us about establishing a strong sunrise review program – including the appropriate review criteria, maintaining independence of the reviewer, and allowing ample time and resources to conduct the review. We’ll also have deeper discussion of lessons learned for licensing policy more broadly – the need for systemic, empirical proof of harms from an occupation and evidence that the regulation sought is the least restrictive means to address those harms.

Originally presented: June 2022