MIDLAND, Mich. — Michigan’s occupational licensing laws prevent hundreds of thousands of residents with criminal records from finding work and rebuilding their lives, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy finds in a new policy brief. The report, “Unlock Opportunity: How Michigan’s Licensing Laws Block Second Chances,” urges lawmakers to eliminate unnecessary barriers to employment for people who have already paid their debt to society and are trying to earn an honest living.

Around a million jobs in Michigan require a license. Licensing requirements often restrict applicants with criminal backgrounds, sometimes regardless of how long ago they committed the offense or whether it has any relevance to the licensed occupation. These rules hinder stable employment for rehabilitated individuals, despite evidence that steady work cuts recidivism.

Michigan passed bipartisan reforms in 2020 to curb automatic denials based solely on criminal records, but this legislation did not go far enough and had many unintended loopholes. A significant number of barriers persist in many occupational fields.

The brief recommends applying elements of those 2020 reforms more broadly, across all licensed occupations. Licensing boards should only be allowed to consider a criminal conviction against a potential licensee if it is for a felony related to the job the person is applying for. The state should be required to show that there is a legitimate public safety concern. Someone convicted of fraud, for example, wouldn’t necessarily be allowed to become a CPA, and a person convicted of child sexual abuse shouldn’t work in a day care. But in other professions, artificial barriers only serve to lock people out of legitimate work.

“No person or business should ever be forced to hire someone with a criminal record, but the government should not punish people for life by making it illegal for them to get a license, find a job, and improve their own lives,” said Jarrett Skorup, vice president for marketing and communication at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and author of the report. “Michigan lawmakers should change state licensing laws to make it easier for people to rehabilitate their lives, provide for their families, and contribute to society.”

The full policy brief, “Unlock Opportunity: How Michigan’s Licensing Laws Block Second Chances,” is available HERE.