Pending Louisiana Legislation a Threat to Professional Non-Governmental Certification Programs

In late March, House Bill No. 748 was introduced and advanced through the Louisiana House of Representatives. Known as the Occupational Licensing Review Act, it was quickly passed by a large margin and is now slated for consideration by several Louisiana Senate Committees.
 
Proponents of the bill believe it would help to limit over-regulation of professional licensure in the state. However, many credentialing programs and recipients of these certifications fear that if the bill is passed and signed into law as written, it could cause great harm. A key reason so many are against the bill as it stands today is because it prohibits individuals possessing a “certification” from referring to themselves as “certified” as a title unless the certification is used in conjunction with licensure within the state of Louisiana. It also prevents the state from including certification as a prerequisite to licensure law unless there is empirical evidence of systemic harm to consumers from the absence of a certification requirement.
 
To help prevent the passage of HB 748, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) sent out an email alert to its members last week and published an article in their Associations Now magazine against the proposed legislation. The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) also alerted its members and authorized funds for ICE to join a coalition being established by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, legal counsel for ICE’s accreditation services, to amend the bill.
 
“The American Board of Industrial Hygiene^® supports the efforts of ICE, ASAE, and other certification boards and credentialing bodies in their efforts to defeat passage of this legislation or in amending it to support professional certification programs,” said Dr. Ulric Chung, Chief Executive Officer of ABIH^®.  “We take this stand to protect our Diplomates who have earned the Certified Industrial Hygienist^® credential and encourage other certifying bodies, associations, organizations, and professionals to stand together to protect professional certifications and the people, businesses, institutions, and government agencies they serve.”
 
Louisiana House Bill NO. 748 can be viewed at: http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1084525
 
To learn more about the American Board of Industrial Hygiene^®, Certified Industrial Hygienist^® credential, or to locate a CIH^® to perform industrial hygiene services, please visit www.ABIH.org, email abih@ABIH.org , or call (517) 321-2638.
 
About the American Board of Industrial Hygiene ^®
Since 1960, ABIH^®, a not-for-profit corporation, has been the world’s largest organization for certifying professionals in the practice of industrial hygiene. ABIH^® is the premier credentialing body responsible for ensuring high-quality certification including education, experience, examination, certification maintenance, and ethics enforcement. Currently, more than 6900 people in 32 countries are certified to use the CIH^® credential. ABIH^® also administers the Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP^®) credential for established environmental practitioners and the Environmental Professional In-Training (EPI) designation for early-career practitioners.
 

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