2024 Solutions Spotlight: Worker Freedom & Regulatory Reform

2024 is shaping up to be another great year for state policy, and ALEC’s 2024 Essential Policy Solutions provides a selection of vetted policies that promote limited government, free markets, and federalism and that will be at the center of policy discussions in 2024. Among these are policies approved by ALEC’s Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task Force that enhance competitiveness, promote employment, encourage innovation, and limit government regulations.

Flexibility is now king in the job market as Americans continue to select jobs that offer flexible options. States can get on board by reducing regulations that limit work options and hinder economic development. Lawmakers should ensure government does not get in the way of Americans seeking work options that are best for them and their families. That includes opening state economies and communities to talented, experienced workers by recognizing comparable, out-of-state occupational licenses and qualifications. It also means protecting workers’ right to choose a work model that works for them and their unique needs, as well as giving public sector workers more say about union representation by requiring union recertification.

If protecting opportunity is the first step to economic development, then ensuring the right to pursue the opportunity is the next step. Policies like those below protect the rights and liberties of Americans to freely make labor choices without unnecessary government interference or restriction.

• Model Policy
  • Model Interstate-Mobility and Universal-Recognition Occupational Licensing Act
  • Uniform Worker Classification Act
  • Union Recertification Act

Holding executive branch departments and agencies accountable has proven to be an important issue to legislators and their constituents throughout the states, particularly throughout the pandemic. By implementing accountability measures and review processes to scrutinize new and existing rules and regulations, states can use proposed regulations as opportunities to take a look at the old as well. Setting regulatory caps and deregulation requirements can aid states in streamlining government.

Policies like those below can help states curb government expansion by reviewing current government regulations, deregulating unnecessarily regulated areas, and placing caps on the number of regulations that can be enacted.

• Model Policy
  • An Act to Establish a Cap on Government Red Tape
  •  Universal Regulatory Sandbox Act
  • Targeted Legislative Review Act
  • Accountability in Rule Making Act
  •  Democratic Accountability in Board Appointments Act
  •  Emergency Power Limitation Act

For more policy ideas, check out our new publication, Essential Policy Solutions for 2024.