Kansas in the top 20 among states in pro-business policies, ALEC study shows

(The Sentinel) – With labor policies including minimum wage, right-to-work, open contracting, and universal occupational licensing, Kansas lands at #19 in the latest “States That Work” survey conducted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The report measures the business-friendly attitude of state governments nationwide. According to the ALEC survey’s introduction:

“The American Dream is a defining quality of this nation, and it is a promise worth protecting. Central to that promise is the freedom to pursue a work arrangement that best serves individuals and their families. States play a critical role in honoring that promise by expanding flexible options and removing unnecessary barriers to work. When states get labor policy right, the American Dream becomes an American reality.”

Among the 10 ALEC model policies offered for consideration:

• Right to Work: Prohibiting union membership as a condition for employment
• Requiring secret ballots for employees in union authorizations
• Open Contracting: Prohibiting public agencies from imposing labor requirements as a condition for performing public works
• Objective standards on the differentiation of independent contractors from employees concerning wages and benefits
• Universal Occupational Licensing. Licenses owned by skilled workers in other states are accepted nationwide
• Occupational licensing reviews in a timely manner, to determine current effects on public safety
• Process by which a licensing board can review an employee’s criminal record to determine if the license should be suspended or revoked
• Guarantees of free-speech rights to public employees
• A ban on government-sector collective bargaining
• Prohibition on paid union activity by public employees. Public employees cannot be paid for time spent on union activity

As for the highest- and lowest-ranking states in the ALEC study:

“For the second consecutive year, Arizona earned the first-place ranking in this publication. Not only has Arizona been a leader in passing gold-standard universal recognition of occupational licensing reform, but it also passed a first-in-the-nation reform banning union release time. The percentage of government jobs is the eighth lowest in the nation, meaning the private sector provides noticeably more employment and opportunity to Arizonans than the government.

“Alaska placed last, as the legislature has not passed any recommended reforms. The policy it came closest to earning a star for is the Public Employee Rights and Authorization Act. However, the Alaska Supreme Court overturned the Administrative Order.”

Kansas received kudos for tying for the lowest-in-the-nation minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) plus its right-to-work status, and policies on open contracting, universal professional licensure, and partial credit for its process to review the criminal records of professional licensees.