Effort to end Louisiana’s licensing of florists falls short

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Louisiana will remain the only state in the nation that requires retail florists to pass a licensing exam.
  
The Senate agriculture committee voted 6-1 Tuesday against a House-passed bill that would have ended the licensing requirement, stalling the measure.
  
Rep. Julie Emerson, a Carencro Republican, proposed to end florist licensing as part of a broader deregulation effort aimed at shrinking professional licensing requirements. Emerson says some requirements can keep people from using their skills to earn a living and build businesses.
  
Gov. John Bel Edwards supported the florist licensing repeal.
  
But opponents raised safety and public welfare concerns. Similar questions have sidelined nearly every other deregulation bill pushed by Emerson, except a proposal to create an annual review process of regulations governing individual professions.