DC tour guides: New regulations infringe on free speech

[The Northerner]

WASHINGTON — If you're a tour guide in the nation's capital, new regulations are in place to ensure you know L'Enfant Plaza from Logan Circle.

But the operators of a Segway tour — Segs in the City — say the new regulations are an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.

Baltimore residents Bill Main and Tonia Edwards, who own Segs in the City, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday asking a judge to invalidate the new regulations.

Under the new requirements, tour guides must pass a 100-question, multiple choice exam that tests their knowledge of the city's architecture and history, among other things.

The Institute for Justice, a Virginia-based legal group representing the tour guides, says the government cannot block people from giving tours and talking about the city's history simply because they don't hold a license.

Source: http://www.ajc.com/travel/dc-tour-guides-new-615174.html

[damntexdem]

1. Nope, can't block people from giving tours.

But it can regulate the business of charging for the tours.

It's pretty well established that governments can license and regulate businesses and their practitioners.