Missouri has a ludicrous system of licensing movers. I am ashamed to admit I have not done more reporting on it. Luckily, other people have. Timothy Sandefur of the Pacific Legal Foundation is litigating the issue, and has written an op-ed about the absurdity of allowing present competitors to determine whether another company can enter the business.
I want to keep this post concise, so I’ll just point out that Sen. Bill Stouffer has introduced legislation, S.B. 58, to change Missouri’s system. It does a number of good things. Most importantly, it removes the insane provision that anybody who wants to be a mover in Missouri has to prove to the government that there is a need for the new service. That is a decision for markets, not governments, to make.
This proposal would be a victory for economic freedom in Missouri. The bill is still in the early stages. It will likely have some changes, and in the end it may not be perfect. But the perfect needn’t be the enemy of the good, and so far the proposal looks promising.
