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Committee advances HB296 to standardize unlicensed practice and disciplinary remedies for occupational licensing boards
Summary
House Bill 296 would harmonize statutory language on unlicensed practice, progressive discipline and injunctions across occupational licensing boards (optometry, physical therapy, naturopathic physicians, real estate appraisers). Department counsel and sponsor described it as cleanup following prior bills; no opponents appeared and committee advanced the bill.
Representative Jodie Etchart opened House Bill 296, describing it as a statutory cleanup consolidating the changes made by prior legislation (notably HB115) so that occupational‑licensing statutes uniformly address progressive discipline for unlicensed practice, including cease‑and‑desist orders, fines, injunctive relief and criminal penalties in appropriate cases.
Quinlan O’Connor, chief legal counsel to the Department of Labor and Industry, told the committee the bill removes conflicting sections and creates a single statutory framework for all occupational licensing boards to address unlicensed practice and related remedies. He said the Department has processed unlicensed‑practice complaints under the earlier structure and the bill simply clarifies and centralizes the approach.
There were no opponents in the room or online. Representative Etchart closed briefly and the committee moved HB296 to executive action; the committee later recorded concurrence in the bill during executive action.
