(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that makes it easier for plumbers, electricians and others who work in professional occupations get a license to work in Iowa. Representative Shannon Lundgren, a Republican from Peosta, was among the lawmakers who worked on the bill. “One quarter of all Iowans need a license to do their job,” she said. “…The average licensed professional in the state of Iowa faces an average cost of $178 in fees and 288 days of required education or experience and these strict licensing requirements have a negative effect for all Iowans — increasing the costs of goods and services, restricting employment opportunities.”

The bill lets Iowa licensing agencies accept work experience as a substitute for education. It also lowers licensing fees for low-income Iowans. These changes do NOT apply to licensing for teachers. Some Democrats like Senator Herman Quirmback of Ames say the licensing changes in this new law are too broad. “There are a lot of states that don’t have standards that are up to Iowa’s standards, that don’t protect their consumers as well as we protect our consumers,” Quirmbach said, “so we need to look at it on a case-by-case basis.”

The bill passed the Senate with Republican support. It passed the support with “yes” votes from Republicans AND several Democrats. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law late this (Thursday) morning.