NEW REPORT: 1,000+ Arizonans Are Free to Work, Thanks to This New Law

June 15, 2020

Coronavirus has left Americans facing record unemployment, but a new law in Arizona is helping people get to work—and it’s already having remarkable success.

Since Governor Doug Ducey signed the Goldwater Institute’s Breaking Down Barriers to Work Act into law last year, more than 1,000 Arizonans have been able to continue their careers without having to tangle with costly and time-consuming red tape. A new series of reports out today from Goldwater Institute National Investigative Journalist Mark Flatten reveals just how successful this new law is, featuring the stories of several Arizonans across the state who have benefitted from it.

Arizona’s universal recognition law allows people licensed in another state to quickly obtain an equivalent license when they move to Arizona. According to the law, a person who comes to Arizona with a license in good standing in another state for at least a year qualifies. Since its adoption less than a year ago, the law has helped a growing list of Arizonans get to work when they move to the Grand Canyon State.

In his new reports, Flatten shares the stories of some of the Arizonans on that list. Among the individuals he features are:

• A San Diego-based construction and commercial electrical contractor with 25 years in the building trades, who was looking to grow his California business into the state of Arizona; and
• An acupuncturist who obtained her Arizona license—and dealt with less paperwork and “a much easier process” to get that license—thanks to Breaking Down Barriers to Work.

“We’re living in uncertain economic times, and allowing for easy movement so people can take advantage of every economic opportunity during our country’s recovery from coronavirus is extremely important. The Goldwater Institute’s Breaking Down Barriers to Work law has already helped over a thousand individuals in Arizona alone,” Goldwater Institute President and CEO Victor Riches said. “In a time in which being able to get work is particularly important, these new reports show how Arizona’s new law is helping countless residents do just that.”

You can read Flatten’s full reports here.