Most heating and cooling workers in Allentown, Pa., will now have to earn a license to work in the city, according to a story March 5 in the Morning Call newspaper.

The original bill, which was criticized as favoring the training program operated by Sheet Metal Workers union Local 19 in Philadelphia, was amended to allow workers to pass a licensing test instead of working in a lengthy state-approved apprenticeship program.

However, students who are in an apprenticeship program will be allowed to work without a license.

The bill had been debated for months before it passed with only one council member opposed.