It's deja vu all over again in Michigan Licensing.

Senate Committee on Health Policy

DATE: Wednesday, February 14, 2024  TIME: 12:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Room 1100, Binsfeld Office Building 201 Townsend Street  Lansing, MI 48933

AGENDA

HB 4608 Rep. Pohutsky Health occupations; dietitians and nutritionists; licensure of dietitian nutritionists; provide for.

And any other business properly before the committee.

In the myth-laden world of health policy, one of the biggest whoppers is that licensing improves safety.

Mackinac Center thoroughly addressed dietitian/nutritionist licensing in 2022, the last time a Michigan legislator proposed it.

https://www.mackinac.org/blog/2022/michigan-should-not-bring-back-dietitian-and-nutritionist-licensing

I've omitted the audio and some images here due to space constraints. 

Michigan Should Not Bring Back Dietitian and Nutritionist Licensing

Another serving of a long-discarded law will give the state indigestion

May 10, 2022 

Eight years ago, a bipartisan bill repealed the requirement for Michigan dietitians and nutritionists to get a state occupational license. The law was unwieldy and ineffective, and lawmakers were right to strike it down. But a bill currently in the Legislature brings back this misguided state regulation.

Senate Bill 614 was introduced last July by Sen. Michael MacDonald, R-Macomb Township, and it may come up for consideration this week. If this legislation goes into effect, people wanting to call themselves dieticians or nutritionists will have to pay $95 every year, pass exams and fulfill continuing education requirements. Licensed dieticians would need a college degree, including select classes. Licensed nutritionists would need a masters or doctorate in nutrition science or a similar course of study, as well as 1,000 supervised hours of practice.

The previous dietitian and nutritionist law was repealed because the Office of Regulatory Reinvention found “a lack of clear public health and safety benefits and … unresolved discussions pertaining to the establishment of acceptable credentialing and education requirements and multiple national credentialing bodies for nutritionists.” About half the states don’t require this license. There is still no clear benefit to public health and safety from requiring it. There’s no evidence to suggest that states with licensing rules for dieticians and nutritionists have better health.

This latest proposed licensing scheme in Michigan is unlikely to make much of a difference to the practice of helping others with their nutrition and diet. Senate Bill 614 makes clear that the licensing requirements do not apply to individuals who provide these or similar services, so long as they not call themselves “nutritionists,” “dieticians” or other derivatives of these terms listed in the bill. As such, the main effect might simply be to prevent some nutritionists from marketing their services in ways similar to the nutritionists who meet the licensing requirements.

In other words, it serves as protectionism for this industry.

The bill also adds a lot of complications and confusing legalese while giving a newly-created board and the state licensing department the authority to investigate people.

Michigan spent a decade slowly repealing unnecessary occupational licenses. It delicensed about eight professions, forbade local governments from imposing their own requirements, made it easier for people with criminal records to earn a license, and helped military families move into the state without having to reapply for licenses they obtained in other states. But there’s more work to be done — including reviewing every current and proposed license to ensure they get put in place only if they are shown to protect public health and safety.

Jarrett Skorup is the vice president for marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He has held various roles within the communications department, including senior director of marketing and communications and director of the Frank Beckmann Center for Journalism at the Center, and has played a leadership role in marketing efforts, media strategy, and overseeing policy campaigns and objectives. He has worked at the Center since 2009.

Skorup is a graduate of Grove City College with degrees in history and political science. He also studied economics and religion. While there, he was captain of the college's club Ultimate Frisbee and wrestling teams.

His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, National Public Radio, MLive, Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and many other newspapers across the country.

A native of Sandwich, Illinois, Skorup is an avid Chicago sports fan. He also officiates high school wrestling and enjoys fishing and woodworking. In his free time, Skorup volunteers with his church, serves on committees with the local Chamber of Commerce, and coaches his kids in every sport you can think of.

He lives in Midland, MI with his wife and four children.