The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the administrator and coordinator of the United States private sector voluntary standardization system.

The ANSI Mission Statement is as follows:

To enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity.

High-quality personnel certification programs align with ANSI’s mission: “to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life.” Such alignment is evidenced by the fact that since March 2012 ANSI has accredited certification bodies under ISO/IEC 17024:2012 – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons. Beginning December 2018, accreditation is conferred by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), ANSI’s wholly controlled not-for-profit accreditation affiliate.

The last few years has seen an uptick in state legislation limiting both occupational licensing and voluntary certification. Oftentimes, the rationale given for such legislation is that many occupational licensure requirements serve no legitimate government purpose and are a barrier to employment. In some instances, legislation related to occupational licensure has failed to distinguish between such licenses and voluntary certification. In other instances, voluntary certification has been treated in parity with occupational licensure. In response, ANAB has formed the State Legislation Task Force.

Rather than represent a barrier to employment, high-quality personnel certification programs result in job creation by increasing the competitiveness of U.S. business. Increased demand for U.S. goods and services creates opportunities for both job seekers and entrepreneurs looking to establish new businesses. Both have a positive impact on employment and on the U.S. economy.

The primary purposes of the task force are to:

• Monitor and identify those instances in which pending legislation will prohibit, limit or otherwise negatively impact voluntary certification.
• Develop a white paper to educate legislators about the value of voluntary certification, how if differs from occupational licensure and its positive impact on the workforce and the economy.
• Present written comments to or testimony before legislative committees about the value of voluntary certification and its positive impact on the workforce and the economy.

Additional information about the task force can be obtained by contacting Dr. Vijay Krishna at ANAB.