Year-end highlights: Legislative and advocacy efforts

Throughout the year, CLARB tracked 164 pieces of legislation with the potential to impact professional regulation broadly and the practice of landscape architecture specifically. Legislative activity reflected continued scrutiny of occupational licensure frameworks across our membership, with several recurring themes emerging. 

Key legislative trends: 

• Deregulation of professions, including proposals to eliminate or significantly weaken regulatory structures 

• License mobility initiatives aimed at streamlining reciprocal licensure for individuals licensed and in good standing in other jurisdictions 

• Licensure board reform efforts targeting board oversight, structure, composition and operational authority 

• Establishment of occupational review committees, increasing the frequency and scope of reviews of regulated professions 

• Licensure fee reviews, examining the appropriateness and structure of fees across professions 

• Military licensure provisions expediting licensure for active-duty service members and their spouses 

• Sunrise and sunset reviews, applying heightened scrutiny to the continuation or introduction of professional regulation 

• Criminal history reforms expanding pathways to licensure for certain individuals with prior criminal records

Several high-impact bills warranted particular attention. Notably, legislation in Florida proposed eliminating professional licensure boards and shifting licensing authority to a centralized administrative function within the state licensing department. In Nevada, a bill sought to restructure licensure boards by consolidating standalone boards into a centralized agency with large, multi-disciplinary licensing boards. A bill was introduced in Alabama to also shift autonomous boards into a centralized agency. Additional legislation in Florida and North Carolina proposed reducing or eliminating continuing education requirements, while a bill in Michigan sought to deregulate the practice of landscape architecture altogether.  

Collectively, these measures underscore the evolving legislative environment facing professional regulation and reinforce the importance of continued advocacy to protect public health, safety and well-being through effective licensure. CLARB and ASLA continue to address these issues as we prepare for the 2026 legislative sessions.

Nebraska passed legislation to become the 8th CLARB member jurisdiction to adopt the Uniform Standard. CLARB and ASLA continue to support this initiative, and we hope to have five Uniform Standard bills introduced in 2026.