WASHINGTON, D.C — Americans for Prosperity and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy announced a joint partnership to assist federal officials and state governors, attorneys general and lawmakers in efforts to pass critical policies benefiting American workers as the nation continues to combat the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

National and state policy responses must not only consider the very real threat to our public health, but also the livelihoods of the American workforce. Together, our organizations are providing a road map for policymakers that can immediately empower workers and unleash innovation, anchored by the following three issues:

Empowering American Health Care System

• Pass occupational licensing recognition across state lines for doctors, nurses, midlevel health care providers and telemedicine.

• Lift certificate-of-need laws, which limit health care facilities’ options to add critical capacity and services, such as hospital beds, ICU wings and critical imaging technology.

Supporting American Job Providers

• Enact national recognition of state occupational licenses to increase the flow of vital goods and services, especially in the recovery period.

• Remove weight and transport restrictions on the trucking industry to increase the flow of food stuffs and medical supplies.

• Suspend the Jones Act to lift shipping restrictions for fuel and supplies.

Protecting American Workers

• Protect entrepreneurs by stopping or rolling back laws, such as California’s AB-5, that needlessly restrict their opportunities to earn a living.

• Federal policymakers should make entrepreneurship easier by streamlining the definition of an employee, allowing more flexibility and choice for those who work for themselves and allowing businesses to provide voluntary benefits and training to contractors without worrying about running afoul of employment laws.

“AFP is calling on our leaders to break down barriers for Americans serving their communities during this trying time. Licensing reform is one way we can help unleash innovation and increase access to vital health care and economic opportunity,” says Erica Jedynak, director of employment initiatives for Americans for Prosperity.

“The Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Workers for Opportunity initiative continues to be a source of meaningful solutions that have lasting, positive impacts on the livelihood of families and communities nationwide,” says Lindsay Killen, vice president for strategic outreach at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “Working together with allies and policymakers, we can respond with timely antidotes that mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis for patients, providers, workers and entrepreneurs across the country.”

To learn more about Americans for Prosperity’s work, please visit www.americansforprosperity.org. To learn more about the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and its Workers for Opportunity initiative, please visit www.mackinac.org and www.workersforopportunity.org.