JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A new law goes into effect this week that allows people who move to Mississippi from out-of-state to maintain their professional licenses.
House Bill 1263 becomes law July 1. Republican Rep. Becky Currie, an author of the bill, said Tuesday that agencies have through the end of the summer to update their licensing policies.
“Some agencies haven’t changed their protocols in 30 years, and it’s time to do that,” Currie, of Brookhaven, said during a press conference on the new law, adding: “We want to make sure that if you want to come to Mississippi and work here, raise your family, that you are welcome and we’re not going to put roadblocks or red tape up for you to do that.”
House Bill 1263 was signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in March. Professions impacted by the new law include everything from nursing to architecture.
The legislation requires licensing boards to issue occupational licenses for professions without new testing or classroom training if a person held a license in good standing from another state for at least one year.
Licensing boards will also be required to issue licenses if a person has worked at least three years in a state that did not require a license for their occupation.
Arizona became the first state in the nation to provide universal recognition of occupational licenses two years ago. Last year, Mississippi passed a similar law exclusively for military families.
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.
