July 8, 2022
Even before SB 16 passed this last legislative session, work was underway to set up the new Office of Professional Licensure review. Aside from the legislative work to identify the scope and scale of the office’s tasks, logistical work was done to determine where in the Heber Wells building the office would be, who the director would be, and creating job postings for the analysts who would staff the office.
The new office is the result of SB 16, which was passed by lawmakers in the 2022 legislative session. It represents a deliberate effort by the executive and legislative branches to keep licensing requirements current and reduce unnecessary barriers. Margaret recently published an op-ed in The Salt Lake Tribune that walks through the process of how the office came to be. In short, Governor Cox’s executive order asked all state agencies to look at potential barriers to professional licensure. The review showed a need for reliable, ongoing review. Thus, the Office of Professional Licensure Review was created.
Those who attended the quarterly town hall meeting met Jeff Shumway, the director who has been appointed to run the office. Jeff will lead a team of three other analysts. Their legislative charge is to review licensure requirements for relevance, reliability, and reasonability.
Jeff is a social impact expert, who has done previous work with public policy and consulting on social impact. He’s also a BYU professor on the same subject. We’re excited to welcome him to the team and for the office to start their important work. Jeff’s office is located in Admin next to Peter and the accounting team. Stop by and say hi.
