Connecticut senators, advocates press for eliminating occupational licensing fees

Senators and industry groups urged the General Law Committee on Feb. 23 to back Senate Bill 105, a bipartisan effort to eliminate many occupational licensing, permit and registration fees that proponents say add recurring costs for workers and small businesses.

"Senate Bill 105 is one of those things that I think bipartisanship can work on — working to remove some of the occupational license fees that hit middle-class small business owners," Senator Harding said during his testimony, describing the proposal as targeted relief for tradespeople, teachers and other licensed professionals.

Supporters said fee elimination would make Connecticut more affordable and improve workforce participation. Senator Fazio, who has carried similar measures in prior years, called the proposal “a major step” to reduce barriers for young people and working‑class professionals and urged attention to apprentices, whom lawmakers said often pay fees before earning wages.

Committee members asked how the bill would treat specific categories: Representative Ackert raised apprenticeship registration fees and asked whether the bill could exempt or phase in relief for those still in training. Harding said he would be “fully supportive” of looking at apprenticeship registration fee relief to encourage entry into the trades.

Officials and proponents noted possible tradeoffs. Senator Jeff Gordon and others asked whether removing fees could reduce funding for programs currently supported by license revenues, such as the Haven substance‑use assistance program; supporters said such consequences can be handled in the appropriations process or targeted fixes.

The committee did not vote on the bill at the hearing. Lawmakers said they would continue negotiations to refine which licenses and apprenticeships should be covered and to identify ways to preserve funding for programs that rely on small fee streams.