The Knee Center is a nonpartisan research center focused on 3 core research areas:
Our mission is to provide information to citizens, policy makers, and other researchers about the extent, scope, and effects of occupational regulation.
Use our Find Occupations page to select your State, Industry, and Occupation. It's that easy to learn what regulations and certifications affect your career field.
Established in 2016, The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation (CSOR) is an academic research center currently within the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation offers student fellows the opportunity to conduct, analyze, and present research that goes toward developing a national database of occupational regulation, focusing on healthcare and other occupations.
Use our Find Occupations page to select your State, Industry, and Occupation. It's that easy to learn what regulations and certifications affect your career field.
Need help finding information in your state? We've listed links for state Senates, Houses of Representatives, and State Assemblies - including links to help you find bills in each. Click to expand each state.
Established in 2016, The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation (CSOR) is an academic research center within the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University.
Common sense tells us that jobs ranging from electricians and surgeons to architects and engineers should require some form of validation. The potential harm to be caused by an unqualified practitioner could be severe.
Unfortunately, in today’s environment licensing and other onerous regulations may apply to dance instructors and hair braiders, manicurists and interior designers. Being required to get a license to become a travel guide, for example, boggles the imagination.
Even in cases where most would agree certification is a good idea, the requirements of licensing are often both burdensome and aimed at protecting the market share of licensees, rather than addressing public health and safety concerns.
The uncontrolled growth of occupational regulations only harms consumers by increasing costs and workers by limiting employment options.
Written and verbal testimonies given by members of the Knee Center.
One in Four
Estimates suggest that more than one in four workers (approximately 25%) in the United States is directly impacted by occupational regulation, a percentage that has grown from 5% in the 1950s.Research Conferences
In addition to developing a national database of occupational regulation that is freely available to the public, the Knee Center also organizes panels at national research conferences and prepares research reports on the subject.
Licensing Reform
The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation supports the establishment of a framework for licensing reform that encourages a thoughtful approach to licensing and results in a regulatory environment that better serves the public interest.