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Reentry Alabama met on Tuesday for a presentation from the Council of State Governments Justice Center and included a roundtable discussion among committee members.
The presentation featured key findings from their assessment, focusing on the potential impacts on Alabama’s workforce and some of the key setbacks facing recently released individuals with valid licenses to practice trades.
Alabama law imposes hundreds of strict barriers on individuals with criminal records seeking employment. Alabama is one of only seven states that does not limit how licensing boards consider criminal history. Alabama provides some standards for conviction-based barriers, but d licensing boards still have broad discretion to deny those who seek economic mobility after release.
Director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Cam Ward said that this would be an issue his agency would be pushing in the upcoming legislative session.
“Occupational licensing reform is, in my opinion, absolutely necessary. We have people that can go to one of Commissioner Hamm’s job training programs that Ingram state does, they go in, they get the training, they come out, but the occupational licensing board has the absolute, 100 percent discretion to deny you a license because you went to prison for any reason. Whatever the reason,” said Ward.
Legislation has been previously filed that would require an occupational licensing board to determine whether that individual’s criminal conviction disqualifies them from obtaining an occupational license. Individuals could also petition a board to determine that they would not be disqualified from gaining a license because of their criminal record.
“It’s hard to argue why we should have an occupational licensure barrier because you are not saying ‘Employer, you have to hire this person.’ Nobody is required to hire you at all, it’s up to the employer to make the decision, but there shouldn’t be a regulation or some government rule that some bureaucratic agency made that blocks you,” said Ward.
No bills with this wide scope have passed and no similar bills have been pre-filed for the 2025 session at this time. Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Mobile, has pre-filed a bill that would establish deadlines for when a government agency must take action on an application for a license, permit or other certification. If no action has been taken after 45 days, the license, permit or application will be deemed approved.
