Wallingford touts bill to ease veteran state licensures

The Missouri House on Thursday passed a bill unanimously, by a 151-0 vote, to cut bureaucratic red tape to ensure more skilled veterans can work and practice in the state.

Every member of the local delegation -- Jamie Burger of Benton, Rick Francis of Perryville, Barry Hovis of Whitewater and Wayne Wallingford of Cape Girardeau, all Republicans -- were among the unopposed bipartisan consensus for House Bill 476: .

The bill, whose Senate version passed March 11 by a 34-0 vote including that of Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City), now goes to the governor for his signature.

Wallingford returned to the House in January after eight years in the Senate and he is a member of the chamber's 14-member Veterans Committee.

Veteran himself

The 74-year-old Wallingford, a retired Air Force navigator, told the Southeast Missourian on Friday he was pleased the legislation will make it easier for veterans to use skills developed in military service out in the civilian world.

"When you're in the military, no matter what branch of service, you gain all these skills but you're not required to have a license -- and the military doesn't give you one, so no matter how long you've served, whether four, five or six years, or making it a career like I did, when you muster out, you have all the experience (necessary) but you're not licensed," Wallingford said. "Right now, I know (Missouri) is very short of truck drivers, and it's good-paying work, and now people in the military who've done that can come out and do that job based on their experience level and don't have to go through (a company's) training program."

He noted that until now, ex-military members who served as instructors would have to be apprentices the moment they took a similar civilian job.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Derek Grier (R-Chesterfield), also will permit trained health professionals such as nutritionists to practice their profession in the state of Missouri. Current law restricts the activities of nutritionists, health coaches and other individuals who want to be able to give advice about food.