1889 Institute: End locksmith licensing

1889 INSTITUTE CALLS FOR END TO MOST LOCKSMITH LICENSING

Only 15 states regulate locksmiths; only Oklahoma requires a locksmith to be 21

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (December 19, 2018) – The 1889 Institute, an Oklahoma state policy think tank, has published “Locksmith Licensure in Oklahoma”. It finds no public interest justification for the continued licensure of locksmiths. Only 15 states regulate locksmiths, with five of these requiring only registration. Of the 10 states that license locksmiths, only Oklahoma requires a locksmith to have reached the age of 21 in order to be licensed.

“One wonders if the Oklahoma legislature believes that this state is unique in harboring young hoodlums itching to use the cover of locksmithing as a way to commit crime,” said Michael R. Davis, attorney, Research Fellow for the 1889 Institute, and author of the report.

This latest short study, or Policy Prescription, from the 1889 Institute explains that neither of two conditions that must simultaneously exist to justify occupational licensing are present for locksmiths. These questions are, first, that there must be real, significant risk for patrons, and, second, there must be little or no market and legal incentives for service providers to take proper precautions.

The 1889 Institute has repeatedly found that when Oklahoma licenses an occupation, it imposes the most onerous conditions in the nation. For funeral directors and embalmers, it imposes high barriers for practitioners to move in from other states. Only Oklahoma requires electrologists to have a bachelor’s degree. Oklahoma does not accept training hours from out-of-state cosmetology schools. This state is one of only 15 that licenses pedorthists. The Institute has not found licensing to be warranted for any of these occupations.

The 1889 Institute has produced several publications regarding occupational licensing, including “The Need to Review and Reform Occupational Licensing in Oklahoma,” “Policy Maker’s Guide to Evaluating Proposed and Existing Occupational Licensing Laws,” and “A Win-Win for Consumers and Professionals Alike: An Alternative to Occupational Licensing.”

These reports lay out, in detail, the intellectual and policy justifications for eliminating many of the occupational licensing laws in Oklahoma and other states. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma legislature has yet to act on any of these recommendations.

About the 1889 Institute
The 1889 Institute is an Oklahoma think tank committed to independent, principled state policy fostering limited and responsible government, free enterprise and a robust civil society. The publication, “Locksmith Licensure in Oklahoma,” and other reports mentioned, can be found on the nonprofit’s website at http://www.1889institute.org/licensing.html.

OCPA celebrates 25 years

Yesterday, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs celebrated their 25th year in operation.


Oklahoma's premier center-right think tank, OCPA has rendered invaluable research and work to the conservative cause here in this state. Hopefully, under Governor Kevin Stitt, we can finally have conservative leadership that will implement many of the much-needed reforms that OCPA has put forward.

Sens. Ford, Halligan, Mazzei to launch new think tank

State Senators John Ford (R-Bartlesville), Jim Halligan (R-Stillwater), and Mike Mazzei (R-Tulsa) are starting a new think tank to focus on state issues. Ford and Mazzei are both leaving the Senate due to term limits, while Halligan opted to not run for a third and final four-year term.

From Oklahoma Watch:

Mazzei, a certified financial planner, told Oklahoma Watch that the Opportunity Project will reflect the views of fiscal conservatives like himself on issues of state finance, education and health policy.

“Our goal, in the era of term limits, is to offer policy ideas and institutional knowledge to members of the Legislature who would like to have some expertise that doesn’t come from lobbyists and agency employees,” Mazzei said.

Mazzei said organizations such as OK Policy and OCPA play an important role in the legislative process, but generally lack the insider perspective gained from years of service in the House or Senate.

“Our ideological friends out there sometimes make proposals that sound good on paper, but they don’t work in the real world,” Mazzei said. “And neither do they understand the political realities of how to get stuff done at the Capitol.

“That level of detail and expertise frankly just doesn’t exist at the think tanks,“ he said.

Ford leaves office with a lifetime Conservative Index score of 63, Halligan with a score of 45, and Mazzei with a score of 64. Comparing those scores to the rest of the Senate, Mazzei is tied for 13th most conservative/19th most liberal, Ford is tied for 14th most conservative/18th most liberal, and Halligan for 22nd most conservative/9th most liberal (2nd most liberal Republican).

Read the full story at Oklahoma Watch here.