The proposed requirement for a firm to submit a credit report prior to obtaining a contractor license will be overly burdensome to small, startup businesses. A large out-of-state company, coming into Virignia, with an established track record will have no problem.

But what about someone starting out with a pickup truck and a tool belt? Perhaps they, personally, have a great FICO score, but the startup business entity is unknown. Without a track record, what are they supposed to do? How much does it cost to buy a good credit listing?

The pendulum has swung too much the other way - whereas the "cross my heart" application was taken advantage of, now the process to obtain a contractor license has become so difficult, that it may encourage unlicensed activity - just the opposite of what is intended.