HB 1300
In CommitteeHouse
Professional accounts
Transferring dedicated accounts for certain professional licenses to the business and professions account.
This status may be delayed. See Action History below for the latest updates.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill merges six separate professional licensing accounts into one unified 'business and professions account' managed by the Department of Licensing. All fees from 21+ regulated professions—including architects, cosmetologists, real estate appraisers, and scrap metal dealers—will now flow into this single account, rather than being kept in profession-specific funds. The goal is to simplify accounting and administration while ensuring fees still fund licensing-related activities.
- Creates a single 'business and professions account' in the state treasury to hold all licensing fees from 21+ regulated professions (e.g., architects, cosmetologists, real estate appraisers, notaries, scrap metal dealers).
- Requires all license fees, renewal fees, exam fees, and civil penalties from covered professions to be deposited into this new consolidated account.
- Repeals six existing dedicated accounts (e.g., architects’ license account, funeral and cemetery account) that previously held fees for specific professions.
- Mandates that any remaining balances in the repealed accounts as of December 31, 2025, be transferred to the new business and professions account by February 28, 2026.
- Limits spending from the new account to only the costs of administering the licensing activities listed in the bill—no general fund use allowed without appropriation.
Who is affected
- Licensing applicants and license holders in affected professions — Professionals and businesses in fields like architecture, funeral services, cosmetology, real estate appraisal, and others must now pay licensing fees into a single state account instead of separate dedicated accounts.
- Department of Licensing — The Department of Licensing will manage and spend fees from all covered professions through one consolidated account instead of tracking separate funds for each profession.
- State programs supporting regulated professions — State agencies and programs that rely on specific profession-based fees for funding (e.g., regulatory oversight, training, or enforcement) will now have their budgets tied to the broader business and professions account instead of dedicated revenue streams.
- General public and state budget — Taxpayers and the state general fund may benefit from simplified accounting and reduced administrative overhead, though no new general fund costs or savings are specified.
Pro/Con Analysis
Potential Benefits (2)
Simplifies accounting and reduces administrative overhead for the Department of Licensing by consolidating six separate accounts into one, potentially lowering operational costs and reducing paperwork for staff managing multiple ledgers.
Local GovernmentRef: Sec. 1(1) & Sec. 4 (effective date Jan 1, 2026)Ensures that all licensing fees remain dedicated to licensing functions and cannot be diverted to the general fund without explicit appropriation—preserving the user-fee principle and protecting against future budget raiding.
Business & EmploymentRef: Sec. 1(1) (spending limitation: 'only for expenses incurred in carrying out these business and professions licensing activities')
Potential Concerns (3)
Local governments and regulatory oversight bodies may lose visibility into profession-specific fee flows, potentially weakening their ability to monitor and adjust funding for profession-specific enforcement, training, or consumer protection programs that previously relied on dedicated revenue streams.
Local GovernmentRef: Sec. 1(1) & Sec. 2 (repeal of dedicated accounts)While the bill restricts spending to licensing activities, it does not explicitly preserve funding for ancillary public-safety functions (e.g., inspection, complaint investigation, or enforcement) that may have been supported by dedicated accounts—potentially leading to underfunding of oversight if the consolidated budget is constrained.
Public SafetyRef: Sec. 1(1) (spending limitation: 'only for expenses incurred in carrying out these business and professions licensing activities')Professionals in regulated fields (e.g., architects, funeral directors) may lose transparency and accountability around how their fees are used, especially if their profession’s historical contribution to the account is large but its share of spending is not clearly tied to its revenue—potentially reducing trust in the licensing system.
Business & EmploymentRef: Sec. 2 (repeal of six dedicated accounts) & Sec. 3 (transfer of balances by Feb 28, 2026)
Who Is Most Affected
Licensing applicants and license holders in affected professions will experience no change in total fees but may see reduced transparency about how their payments are used; those in smaller or lower-fee professions (e.g., notaries, scrap metal dealers) may worry their contributions subsidize larger professions without proportional benefit.
The Department of Licensing gains administrative efficiency and simplified budgeting, but loses the ability to track profession-specific revenue and may face pressure to allocate resources equitably across professions.
State programs that previously received dedicated funding from profession-specific accounts (e.g., regulatory enforcement, consumer complaint resolution, training grants) may face budget uncertainty if the consolidated account does not prioritize their needs in future appropriations.
The general public benefits from streamlined government operations and reduced administrative waste, though the impact is likely small and indirect.
Professions with historically high fees (e.g., real estate appraisers, architects) may see their revenue pooled with lower-fee professions, potentially diluting their influence over how licensing funds are spent—though no net revenue change is expected.