Consolidate Administrative Functions of Occupational Licensing Agencies State law should be amended to consolidate the administrative functions of professional licensing boards and commissions. Background Most states license persons who practice various professions and occupations as part of their duty to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens, and Texas is no exception. The state has an extensive array of boards and commissions regulating dozens of occupations. States generally oversee regulated occupations by establishing guidelines on the professional qualifications and requirements that licensees must meet to practice in the state. Another common practice among states is to require licensees to support professional regulation through fees.
States use different models to carry out occupational regulation.
Some states administer licensing through a single body, but most states generally have at least some separate professional licensing boards. The 1993 Legislature created the Health Professions Council to coordinate health licensing boards. So far, this group's major achievement is to co-locate health licensing boards. The council cannot enforce its decisions, so it seems unlikely that the boards will take steps to consolidate their common functions and trim their staffs. Current state operations support the notion that centralized administration does not impede the state's ability to oversee regulated occupations.