Private Certification of Occupations

Most people now realize that government licensing of occupations is not usually enacted to protect the public but rather its real purpose is to protect the regulated professions from competition so they can keep their prices up. Why not test this theory by enacting a parallel system of private certification. Then the members of the public who believe that government licensing protects them, could only use the government licensed vendors. But, members of the public who just want information about the vendors, could then make their own judgments about who to use.

Arizona Representative Warren Petersen has introduced just such a bill. It deserves consideration.