Professor’s research reaches Texas Legislature

A Troy University business professor testified about state licensing regulations earlier this month after his research caught the eye of Texas Legislature.

Dr. Noah Trudeau, an assistant professor in Troy’s Sorrell College of Business, was called to the Texas Legislature earlier this month. He was asked to give an expert testimony surrounding research on the State Occupational Licensing Index, a tool that defines the burden of occupational licensing requirements across each state.   

“I am always pushing for common sense when it comes to licensing,” Trudeau said. “Even if I believe the world could exist without it, that doesn’t mean that that is a feasible outcome.”

Occupational licensure, as Trudeau explains it, is often described as a permission slip from the government to practice a certain job or perform certain actions associated with a job.

Most licenses require a combination of education, exams, time spent training, apprenticeships and fees.

More than 20% of occupations in the United States legally require a license.

The State Occupational Licensing Index found Texas to be the state with the highest occupational licensing burden in 2024, meaning it holds the highest number of requirements that workers must meet in order to work some jobs. These requirements can become restrictions for workers who may want to move to Texas and continue their profession.

The bill Trudeau was called to give testimony on, Texas’ House Bill 11, would look to achieve reciprocal agreements between Texas and other states. It would also work to identify roadblocks in license transfer over Texas’ borders.

“In Texas’ case that means being a little more open to accepting other state’s licenses, carefully looking at the requirements of their current licenses to make sure they aren’t too strict and being prudent about passing new licenses,” Trudeau said. “The last one is super important because it’s much easier to pass legislation than it is to remove it.”

When Trudeau got the call from Texas, his first thought was of his class. He said he asked himself how he could manage to be in Texas on a Tuesday morning and not miss nearly a week of class.

Trudeau is also a Troy alumnus who first got involved with licensing here at Troy. While he was a graduate student, a conversation with one of his professors about participating in a research project involving licensing led him down the path to where he is today.

“Public policy is a great place to be; it’s a field where you see real results affecting real people,” Trudeau said. “You don’t have to have a PhD to be actively involved either.

“Many undergraduate degrees offer pathways to policy: economics, data analytics, political science and law just to name a few. Also, being an econ professor is the best job ever.

I get to talk about a subject I love every day and have fun while doing it. If I’m extra lucky, students will love it as much as I do.”

Trudeau encourages students to consider economics as a major.

“I have three degrees in [economics] and still love it,” Trudeau said. “Troy has some awesome econ faculty, and I mean everyone else in the department not myself.

“Econ is the best business degree in my opinion, but I may be a little biased. Still, major in econ!”

Those interested can reach Trudeau at ntrudeau@troy.edu.