It was strangely quiet in Washington, D.C. Two little girls were riding scooters around the Washington Monument. A few people milled around. Otherwise, it seemed almost empty.
Each time I had visited our nation's capital in the past, it teemed with people. Families were everywhere, taking in the sights of the National Mall, visiting the Smithsonian. The city always seemed alive with activity. This time was different. The COVID-19 pandemic has made even Washington, D.C., one of the nation's busiest and most popular places, seem still.
I was on my way to the White House, specifically to the historic south lawn of the Presidential Residence. This was a first for me. I'd been to the White House before, but this time, I was invited as a guest of the president.
Myself and several other legislators had been invited to attend remarks given by the president regarding our efforts to roll back burdensome regulations on licensed professionals. It was a unique experience for me. There I sat, three rows or so away from the leader of the free world. In front of me were members of the president's cabinet, the vice president and leaders from across the nation.
The president spoke about the burden of regulations that had been imposed on American families and businesses and about the thousands of dollars a year these regulations cost every family in the U.S. He spoke about the 740 regulations our country suspended in order to allow the manufacture of lifesaving products to help fight the coronavirus, resulting in our auto manufacturers producing 100,000 ventilators in 100 days and promoting the use of telemedicine to help fight the spread of COVID-19.
Because of our work on House Bill 2046, the president had asked us to join him in highlighting the importance of cutting burdensome regulations on our country's workforce. That legislation, which I sponsored in the Missouri Senate, contained several important provisions that will result in a healthier economy for Missouri. HB 2046 allows for reciprocity of our licensed professionals. Our business owners have told us there is a great need for specialized workers in Missouri, and this reciprocity program will help to attract them. It also allows greater freedom and mobility for our professional workforce. It's a win-win.
HB 2046 also enacted the Expanded Workforce Act of 2020, which allows federally licensed apprenticeship programs to be used for professional licensing programs. This will allow more practical, on-the-job experience to be used as qualification for a professional license and will result in more and better-trained professionals here in Missouri.
On July 6, the governor signed HB 2046 into law - the result of hard work and dedication by lawmakers and citizens alike. I want to say thank you to everyone involved in making this important piece of legislation a reality, and I'm looking forward to the positive change it will make in our state. With this bill and all the work we are doing to ease unfair regulatory burdens on our citizens, I hope that soon we will have the resources we need to beat back the coronavirus, put people back to work, expand our economy - and the next time I visit Washington D.C., it will be full of life again.
State Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, represents Missouri's 6th District and shares his perspective on statehouse issues twice a month.