A new law will ensure Illinoisans don’t lose their right to practice their professions if they fall behind on student loan payments.

A series of occupational licensing reform bills making their way out of the General Assembly would help more Illinoisans enter the workforce.

Regulatory regimes in Illinois often discourage workforce participation without enhancing public welfare. One Senate bill, however, would require regulators to demonstrate the necessity of new rules before imposing them on workers.

Three proposals that would ease occupational licensing restrictions have reached the House floor, passing unanimously out of committee.

Under Illinois law, defaulting on student loan debt could jeopardize one’s occupational license. But a Senate bill would protect indebted workers from displacement.

Almost a quarter of Illinois workers need licenses to work in their professions, and workers who default on student loans can face the suspension of those licenses.

In Illinois, a cosmetologist must complete 350 days of educational training, but an EMT can be licensed after just 37.