I am a former MT/CLS and currently an attorney who deals primarily in professional licensure. The licensure movement gained some traction in some progressive, large, and heavily regulated states back when I was still active in the field @Gumbymom , but here in the northeast we primarily license the laboratories and require them to assure that the qualifications of their personnel, usually accomplished via national certification.
Pay for CLS work is generally higher in individual licensure states since the workforce is more limited and favors the CLS from a supply and demand standpoint. I think it is a fabulous degree either as a career or as a step into either further clinical or management/healthcare administration training. (-: