Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), in a recent press release announced new efforts to continue improving professional license processes at the state’s lead credentialing and licensing agency.
Among the new efforts by Gov. Evers and DSPS is a new public-facing licensing dashboard designed to help improve transparency around licensing processes and department processing capacity. The dashboard, part of Gov. Evers’ work to modernize state government services for the 21st century, builds upon the administration’s online licensing platform launched last year, LicensE, to maximize efficiency in the credentialing process, reducing barriers and obstacles to applicants while prioritizing public safety and consumer protection.
The licensing dashboard highlights the average number of days it is currently taking DSPS to review new application submissions, including any additional documentation sent by applicants or third-party education institutions, employers, testing centers, and others. Dashboard data, now available for public viewing, illustrates heavy demand and significant progress that has been made at the state department responsible for occupational licensing. For example, to date, in 2023, Wisconsin has issued nearly 200% more licenses than it did in the same period in 2018. DSPS is currently handling documentation within three to five calendar days, meaning once an applicant satisfies all legal requirements, they should have their license in hand in less than a week.
Gov. Evers, through the availability of federal emergency relief funds, has made substantial investments to enhance operations at DSPS in recent years. The federal pandemic relief funds directed by Gov. Evers will ensure the department can retain the current staffing levels that have helped enable significant improvements to licensing processing times; however, because the federal funds directed by the governor cannot be extended past the end of calendar year 2024, DSPS will need approval and authorization from the Wisconsin State Legislature to keep its staffing capacity at current levels.
