Introduction
Occupational licensing is a system of granting individuals permission to practice a particular kind of business activity. It is a form of credentialing intended to protect public interests by ensuring that licensed individuals are qualified and responsible for performing the regulated activity, subject to appropriate oversight.
Occupational Licensing in Kansas
In Kansas, occupational licensing at the state level is required by statute for various fields of professional practice. Statute establishes various requirements and conditions for such licenses but many requirements are provided through administrative regulations by the various agencies or licensing bodies charged with administering the respective credentials.
It is difficult to ascertain the exact number of occupational licenses required within Kansas, but statutory reports to the Legislature on occupational licensing are required by 21 regulatory bodies, who report on about 100 distinct licenses to the Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD) (see Reporting Requirements, below).
For many activities, requiring occupational licensing credentialing and oversight is a federal or local matter. For example, aircraft mechanics are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, while plumbers and electricians are licensed locally.
Interstate Licensing Compacts
For a variety of professions, Kansas law provides for state participation in interstate licensing compacts through enacted legislation. Such compacts are agreements governing licensure within particular professional fields, as a means of ensuring uniform standards of practice while reducing barriers to workforce participation through reciprocal licensure or privilege to practice in another compact member state.
Under such agreements, while many requirements are dictated by the terms of the compact, the regulatory authority of states to protect public health and safety are preserved; state licensing bodies are generally still responsible for administering credentialing programs and maintaining oversight and enforcement authority over practice within their respective fields.
Reporting Requirements
2021 HB 2066 introduced requirements for most agencies administering occupational licenses to make an annual report to the Legislature related to statutory requirements for expedited licensure. The report requires licensing bodies to provide information on the types of licenses issued with statistics on the time required for each license determination, the number of licenses issued or denied, and reasons for denial, among other information.
[Note: KLRD is required by 2021 HB 2066 (KSA 48-3406) to annually collect licensure information regarding expedited military and non-military licensure law and report that information to certain entities.]
Several state entities overseeing statutorily required occupational licenses are not required to make an annual report on licensing to the Legislature. Examples include weights and measures service technicians, regulated by the Department of Agriculture, and various emergency medical service provider types regulated by the Emergency Medical Services Board.
Occupational Licensing Reforms in Kansas
Since 2012, the Legislature has enacted a number of occupational licensing reforms.
Credentials for Non-resident Military Members and Military Spouses
Legislation enacted in 2012 provided for licensing of spouses of active-duty military members with out-of-state credentials regardless of whether the credentialing body otherwise recognized the equivalent credential in Kansas. Similar provisions were added for military veterans in 2013 and active-duty service members were added in 2015. Credentialing was extended to all spouses of military members, regardless of active-duty status, with enactment of HB 2066 in 2021.
Expedited Credentialing
A number of legislative efforts have reduced the time required to obtain licensure in Kansas for qualified individuals moving from out of state. The 2015 changes to law providing for reciprocal credentialing of active-duty military members also required credentialing bodies to issue licenses within 60 days for military members and military spouses. 2021 HB 2066 shortened the period of time in which regulatory bodies are required to issue occupational credentials to military service members or military spouses seeking to establish residency in Kansas to 30 days while also providing for expedited credentialing of non-military prospective residents, requiring credentials to be issued within 60 days for all qualified out-of-state applicants.
Temporary and Provisional Licensing
2021 HB 2066 also provided for temporary and provisional licensing for certain applicants with out-of-state credentials. Regulatory bodies are permitted to issue temporary occupational permits allowing applicants to lawfully practice their occupation while completing any specific requirements to practice in Kansas that were not required in the other state, provided the practice of the occupation by the individual would not jeopardize public health and safety.
Removal or Reduction of Fees
One of the ways states can ease the regulatory burden of obtaining occupational credentialing includes the reduction or removal of fees related to licensure. In line with the policy of making licensure easier for qualified military members and spouses, 2024 HB 2745 exempted military service members and spouses of active-duty military members from all fees for applications for any such credential assessed by the licensing body, including criminal background report fees, whether assessed by the licensing body or another agency, and any fees associated with initial applications or renewal of any credential. In 2025, with enactment of HB 2274, this fee waiver was extended to all spouses of military members, regardless of active-duty status.
Exemption from Regulation
There have also been a number of changes to policy in recent years that ease regulations on certain occupational practices, either by removing applicability of licensure requirements or removing or easing specific regulatory requirements.
2022 SB 440 authorized occupational therapists to provide limited services to patients without referral from a health care provider under certain conditions. 2022 SB 348 removed certain threading (temporary hair removal by use of a strand of thread) methods from regulation under the licensure of cosmetologists. 2022 SB 453 permitted, with regard to licensure of specialist clinical social workers, supervised postgraduate experience in lieu of completion of a graduate-level supervised clinical practicum.
Easing of regulations that apply to licensure or specific practices are often complemented by other offsetting conditions. For example, the 2022 bill exempting threading from cosmetology licensure required threading practitioners to make available to clients a brochure including infection control guidelines with the practitioner’s responses to a self-assessment of adherence to such guidelines.
2022 Senate Sub. for HB 2279 allowed advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to prescribe drugs without a written protocol authorized by a responsible physician, but added a requirement for APRNs to maintain malpractice insurance. Similarly, 2022 SB 440 required occupational therapists to maintain liability insurance while authorizing limited practice without requiring health care provider referrals.
Increased Participation in Interstate Licensing Compacts
Kansas has enacted compact legislation participation in a variety of interstate occupational licensing agreements in recent years to facilitate interstate practice of regulated professions.
Kansas enacted the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact in 2021 with SB 77 and the following eight additional interstate compacts between 2023 and 2025:
- Counseling Compact (2023 HB 2288);
- Cosmetologist Licensure Compact (2025 HB 2069);
- Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (2024 HB 2453);
- Dietitian Compact (2025 HB 2069);
- Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (2023 SB 66);
- Physician Assistant Licensure Compact (2025 HB 2069);
- School Psychologist Compact (2025 HB 2069); and
- Social Work Licensure Compact (2024 HB 2484).
Notable interstate health care professional licensure compacts that have not been enacted in Kansas but have been enacted or are being considered in other states include the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Compact, Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, and Respiratory Care Interstate Compact.
Other Reform Efforts
2025 SB 30 was a recent attempt at additional substantive reforms to occupational licensing in Kansas. The bill would have required licensing bodies to annually provide a report of certain information to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations and for new occupational licenses and material changes to existing licenses adopted by certain state agencies to be approved by the Legislature.
Before consideration of any such adoption or material change, KLRD would have been required to conduct a review and submit a report with certain information relating to the rationale for the proposed requirement, comparison with requirements in other states, and alternative measures for achieving the intended purpose of the proposed requirement.
The Conference Committee Report for SB 30 was adopted by the House but was not taken up by the Senate.
By Eric Adell and Mike Ditch. See Commerce, Labor, and Economic Development for more articles on these topics.