Department of Insurance requests feedback on licensing

The Idaho Department of Insurance is seeking feedback on its licensing and renewal process.

The move is part of a process that the state started in May when Lt. Gov. Brad Little ordered Idaho state departments and self-governing agencies to review their licensing requirements and recommend changes that would simplify the process.  The order requires all regulatory agencies to report to the governor’s office by July 1, 2018.

Little said in the executive order that reviewing licensing was necessary to make sure laws and rules aren’t creating unnecessary barriers to commerce and employment.

Occupational licensing and registration has grown enormously and unevenly in the last several decades. In 1952,  there were only 75 state-regulated professions in the United States. Only 5 percent of the workforce required an occupational license. Today, there are more than 1,100 licensed occupations that cover about a third of the workforce, said Morris Kleiner, professor of labor policy at Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

This increase in licensing has limited job access and has raised prices, Kleiner said.

The Department of Insurance is just one of many state entities asking for feedback from its licensees. The department has created a comment section on its website where licensees can send any data, comment or question while the department creates its report. All comments must be submitted by May, 1, 2018.

Anyone interested in commenting can also mail the Department of Insurance.

The Idaho Department of Insurance has different licensing requirements for adjusters, brokers, producers, title agents and reinsurance intermediaries.

“These laws and rules will be thoroughly reviewed to determine their necessity and whether the public interest could be better served by making changes,” said Dean Cameron, director of the Department of Insurance.