Business leaders praise law that makes it easier for former inmates to obtain professional licenses

Recently enacted legislation that reforms the process used by Pennsylvanians with a criminal record to obtain an occupational license will help the state address persistent workforce skills gaps, industry leaders say.

Under the new law, the commonwealth’s 29 occupational licensing boards could only deny a license if the applicant’s criminal history is directly related to the licensed occupation. Boards are required to create a public list of criminal offenses that could prevent licensure from being granted to applicants.

The newly enacted law allows individuals to receive a preliminary decision if their criminal record is likely to disqualify them, so they do not waste time and money on training. However, they can apply and present evidence to support their licensure.

The bill was sponsored in the General Assembly by state Sen. John DiSanto, R-New Bloomfield, and state Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Camp Hill, and received bipartisan support from advocates of businesses and criminal justice reform in the state legislature. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf at the beginning of the month.

“Pennsylvania must be a place where hardworking people can put their skills to work,” Wolf said upon signing the bill. “Arbitrarily denying someone a job license because of outdated rules against criminal records is wrong. This new bipartisan law is a commonsense way to allow people to pursue the American dream and build a better life in Pennsylvania. It’s good for skilled workers, their employers and the economy for all of us.”

Pennsylvania oversees the administration of more than 250 professional licenses — 250 opportunities for individuals to find meaningful employment in specialized trades and help close the exiting job skills gap, which is consistently ranked among the top concerns for businesses in surveys, according to the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr said helping qualified people earn occupational licenses is one part of a strategy by the Pennsylvania chamber to address Pennsylvania’s “workforce crisis,” along with sponsoring workforce training programs for businesses.

“Providing this uniformity and clarity in the application of the occupational licensure law will help people make informed decisions related to the education and training opportunities they pursue,” chamber President and CEO Gene Barr said in a statement. “It will further help to ensure that good candidates are not being denied entry into their chosen career path based on a bad decision for which they’ve already paid their debt to society.”