LANSING —Yesterday, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a legislative package that would amend state law surrounding occupational licensing. The package, if enacted, would exclude licensing boards and agencies from using criminal convictions, in and of themselves, as conclusive proof of an individual’s lack of good moral character in denying them an occupational license. In response, state Rep. Leslie Love (D-Detroit) issued the following statement:
“These bills are going to go a long way to help citizens who may have made mistakes in the past but paid their debt to society reclaim their lives and become productive members of their communities. This package ensures that if you’re willing to do the work, your past won’t be used as a strike against your future, too. Once someone rehabilitated has reentered society they deserve the freedom to make a living for themselves and their families, and I was proud to support a package that will help them do that.”