Sold! Tennessee Auctioneers Score Win in Occupational Licensing Case
31st March 2022
Opponents of occupational licensing secured a victory this week in their battle against excessive state regulations that erect barriers to competition in various fields.
One of those opponents, who knows full well the burdensome effects of occupational licensing, is Will McLemore. In 2006, he started McLemore Auction Co as one of the first online auction houses in America.
At that time, most auctioneers practiced only in live auctions, but as the internet has done for so many things, auctioneering began to change. The growth of online shopping resulted in tremendous opportunities for auctioneers.
However, in 2019, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation requiring all auctioneers to be licensed. To get a license, auctioneers had to meet requirements so onerous that they kept interested and otherwise qualified entrepreneurs out of the business altogether.
That year, McLemore and other members of the Interstate Auction Association filed an initial complaint against the state of Tennessee.
Nothing is more common that the use by existing businesses to exclude entrants by means of crony-fied regulations.