Single licensing board planned

Kemp said he hears complaints that the process takes too long, so he proposes creating one seven-member board to handle all licensing and possibly cut wait times to one week.

"They have to wait for 30 days for a piece of paper from the government before they can go to work," he said Monday.

Sometimes it takes longer.

Melissa Taylor of Gwinnett County finished nursing school last year and waited for more than two months to get the go-ahead to take the nursing board exam.

"I had a job offer at the time, but if I didn't have a license by a certain time I was going to have to give up that position to someone who had already passed their boards," she said. "At the time, I was a single mom and it was very stressful because I needed the income."

Licensing boards work under the auspices of the secretary of state, and Kemp's office provides the staffing that keeps the boards running.

Those staffers perform most of the licensing work and investigations into complaints that can result in the loss of a professional license.

Under Kemp's proposal, licensing and investigations would be handled by a newly constituted seven-member Georgia Board of Licensing and Regulation, with members appointed by the governor, as are all board members now.

Kemp said some board members are concerned about losing powers, but he thinks cutting wait times to a week and dispensing discipline decisions more quickly will be worth it.

Licensing board members said the proposal has some good ideas.

But some are also concerned about having a reduced role in discipline cases.

Morgan Wheeler, the vice chairman of the Board for General and Residential Contractors, said the move could relieve board members of some busy work so they could concentrate on what they do best, setting standards and policies for their professions.

But state Board of Veterinary Medicine Chairman Harry Bohn said board expertise would be needed during investigations of complaints against licensees.

"If it is a malpractice case or drug abuse or someone's facilities not being up to standard, it ought to be heard by vets on the board," he said.

Kemp said his office could ask the 43 licensing boards for advice on disciplinary issues. Appeals by a licensee of a disciplinary hearing would be made to the proposed seven-member board. An appeal of that board's decision would be made to a state court.

The new structure, Kemp said, would cut the need for board meetings in half, freeing up his staff to help with licensing operations.

The new structure should not cost the state more money, he said. He had talked to some board members, but the announcement surprised many.

"That's the first I've heard of it," Bohn said upon getting a call from a reporter.

Ashley Barnett, a Georgia Board of Nursing member was reading an email from Kemp when contacted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Kemp said he is in talks with legislators and Gov. Nathan Deal about drafting a bill that would make the changes and he hoped to have a sponsor and a bill ready by next week.

Tricia Pridemore, director of the Governor's Office of Workforce Development, which kicked off the Go Build Georgia campaign last week to draft a new generation of skilled workers such as electricians and pipe fitters, was supportive of Kemp's proposal.

"Getting our skilled Georgians licensed and out on the job quickly is something that is very important to the Go Build Georgia initiative," she said.

Speaker of the House David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, who holds sway in the state House of Representatives, was more circumspect.

He said he knows of Kemp's efforts and supports cutting red tape, but he wants to read the specifics before making any comment.

State Minority leader Sen. Steve Henson, D-Atlanta, said he would want to review the proposal carefully because of his concerns about adding a new layer of bureaucracy and taking decision-making authority away from experts and giving it to a catch-all board.

"You are going to have less expertise in order to speed it up," he said.