{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://meadows.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-meadows-introduces-the-allow-act", "Rep. Meadows Introduces the ALLOW Act", "2016-11-15", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "NC", "Mark Meadows", "M001187", "meadows.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 On Monday, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) introduced the Alternatives to Licensing that Lower Obstacles to Work (ALLOW) Act\u2014a bill that will make targeted changes to federal licensure policy by reducing unnecessary licensing requirements.\nSome of the most significant burdens on innovation in the job market are heavy licensing barriers placed on small business owners, entrepreneurs, and young Americans entering the workforce. Since 1950, the number of Americans working in jobs that require a license has increased by 500%, with government officials often citing health and safety concerns as the reason for the increased requirements. Acquiring a license can be a both lengthy and costly process, while studies show that most of the health and safety concerns can be address through much less burdensome means, such as certification, registration, and others.\nThe ALLOW Act will limit the creation of occupational license requirements on federal installments, including areas on army bases and those in the District of Columbia, to those circumstances where licensure is the least restrictive means of protecting public health, safety, or welfare.\n\u201cAnytime we look at regulations like licensing requirements, we should have a goal to be as efficient as possible while avoiding unnecessary restrictions on hard-working Americans,\u201d Rep. Meadows said. \u201cAnd I think when we look at licensing regulations, it\u2019s very clear that many of the rules and requirements go beyond protecting health and safety standards and instead serve as a barrier to jobs for otherwise qualified people. My hope is that this bill can refocus our licensing requirements on only the most pertinent situations.\u201d\nRep. Dave Brat (R-VA) is an original cosponsor of the bill.\n\u201cToo many hardworking Americans are barred from work due to unnecessary and duplicative rules and regulations,\u201d said Rep. Brat. \u201cI co-sponsored this legislation because it cuts through some of that red tape and will help small business owners, entrepreneurs, and young people to secure jobs.\u201d \u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://meadows.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-meadows-introduces-the-allow-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4767220709472895, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}