Before this body is a proposal that would renew a state mandate requiring optometrist or physician eye exams for incoming kindergartners in Missouri’s public schools (Senate Bill 641). The mandate places both a legal and financial burden on Missouri families that only two other states in the country place on their citizens. There are several troubling aspects of the proposal.

There are few absolute truths in life, but we do have some. Death, taxes, gravity. If demand increases and supply remains the same, price will increase. The St. Louis Cardinals team will contend for the pennant. And, — most germane to this committee meeting — current practitioners of certain fields will initiate attempts to license their occupations.

Saint Louis, the city where I live and work, is home to the oldest land bank in the United States. The Saint Louis land bank, also known as the Land Reutilization Authority, has been in existence for more than four decades. It owns more than 10,000 parcels, making it the largest land holder in the City of Saint Louis. I hope that you consider its track record before creating a similar entity in Kansas City.

In their own lives, individuals regularly make the tough choices to eat less and exercise in order to achieve better health. The state government can do the same. Policymakers in Missouri can make those same hard decisions to outsource, privatize, consolidate, or share services in order to perform key public services at as low a cost as possible. H.J.R. 11 would encourage Missouri’s state government to conduct a top-down, bottom-up review of all state agencies and regulations to eliminate waste, inefficiency, and government intrusion unrelated to essential services.

David Stokes, a policy analyst with the Show-Me Institute, testifies before the Saint Louis County Council Committee of the Whole in opposition to new licensing requirements for HVAC contractors and workers in Saint Louis County. Stokes discusses how licensing rules like those proposed in this code amendment are used to limit competition and increase costs for consumers.

Kansas City officials deserve credit for wanting to update and revamp the city's business and occupational licensing system. Economic activity benefits the city whenever it occurs, whether directly or indirectly. Many of the changes proposed here will positively benefit Kansas City's economy by simplifying many parts of the system.

One of the reasons that America has long been known as the “land of opportunity” is that its citizens are understood to have the freedom to make decisions for themselves. Rather than having their lives dictated to them, as is the case in so many nations across the world, Americans engage in the pursuit of happiness by cultivating an extremely broad array of tastes and interests. For many, this includes the choice to smoke.

David Stokes, a Show-Me Institute policy analyst, makes recommendations for provisions that should be included in the proposed Jefferson County charter.

Stop the ceaseless moves toward greater regulation of occupations in Missouri. Stop allowing existing businesses to limit their own competition and call it safety or consumer protection. Realize the harm that is done to our economy by occupational licensing requirements, and the barriers it can place on entry-level workers who are meeting service needs within their community, the essence of the free market.