Chamber: Reduced state labor regulations could create 750,000 jobs

“Without cost to state governments or the federal government — or the taxpayers — states can take steps now to improve their economic conditions and begin to prime the pump of job creation and new business formation,” said Lisa Rickard, president of the chamber’s Workforce Freedom Initiative. “The goal of this study is to provide state policymakers with an objective view of how policies in their states compare with policies in other states, and perhaps more importantly, how reforms can accelerate economic growth.”

The study determined 15 states had good regulatory environment, 20 had fair ones, and 15 were poor.

The specific areas examined by the study included minimum wage and living wage laws, unemployment insurance and workers compensation, wage and hour policies, collective bargaining issues, and the litigation or regulatory enforcement climate.