New and Successful Efforts to Defend Licensing
During the last several months, the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing successfully mobilized to both dispel an anti-licensure movement in Louisiana and reinvigorate responsible licensing in Illinois. To these ends, ARPL generated in-state public opinion research, concise op-ed writing, a strong presence at legislative and business fora, and digital media innovation. These successes provide useful blueprints for landscape architects to reference in the profession’s own advocacy efforts.
Matthew Gallagher
2022-08-09
It was an eventful second quarter of 2022 for the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL), a coalition of professions, including landscape architecture, that promotes a responsible, balanced approach to professional licensing. During the last several months ARPL successfully mobilized to both dispel an anti-licensure movement in Louisiana and reinvigorate responsible licensing in Illinois. To these ends, ARPL generated in-state public opinion research, concise op-ed writing, a strong presence at legislative and business fora, and digital media innovation.
In Louisiana, ARPL released the results of a survey of Louisiana voters showing they were deeply concerned about anti-licensing proposals being discussed in Baton Rouge during this legislative session and voters showed strong bipartisan support for licensure standards in professions such as landscape architecture that have a clear impact on public health, safety, and welfare. These survey results affirm the agency of the public in a democratic system.
In Illinois, ARPL has partnered with two Illinois House of Representatives members – Rep. Amy Elik, Republican; Rep. Natalie Manley, Democrat – to author an op-ed highlighting the value of responsible licensing. The op-ed section of media outlets presents a unique opportunity within the public discourse to actually change readers’ minds on an issue. In a political environment where licensure for landscape architects is regularly scrutinized and misunderstood, op-eds can help to both preempt and respond to harmful policy developments.
Institutionally, ARPL also sponsored a panel on licensure mobility at the National Conference of State Legislature’s National Occupational Licensing Meeting regarding opportunities to reduce barriers for licensed occupations. This type of educational exchange is key to building and sustaining a movement in support of responsible licensure. Therefore, ARPL is also sponsoring an upcoming panel at American Legislative Exchange Council’s Annual Meeting highlighting the perspective of businesses that would be significantly hindered by weaker licensing standards.
Finally, ARPL executed a new social media strategy to promote its “Myth versus Fact” one-pager, which debunks common anti-licensure myths. Advocacy communication in the social media space requires content that is specifically tailored to users’ expectations for a given platform. ARPL’s “Myth versus Fact” resource is a prime example of a campaign effectively tailoring information to how people use and experience social media.
In all, these activities and successes have helped to defeat harmful licensure reform proposals and secure the integrity of licensure for highly technical professions, including landscape architecture. They also provide useful blueprints for landscape architects to reference in the profession’s own advocacy efforts. ASLA and the ARPL Coalition will continue to remain vigilant to threats against licensure and continue to seek new effective practices in the protection of landscape architecture licensing.