Problem: Congressional committees heard testimony from present and former holders of licenses issued by state vocational licensing boards. According to the testimony, the boards had unfairly manipulated their disciplinary proceedings in order to revoke the licenses of some license holders as a means of protecting favored licensees from competition. In response, Congress enacted a statute prescribing detailed procedural requirements for the disciplinary proceedings of all state vocational licensing boards. For example, the statute required the state boards to provide licensees with adequate notice and opportunity for an adjudicatory hearing in all disciplinary proceedings. The statute also prescribed criteria for the membership of all state vocational licensing boards that were designed to ensure that the boards were likely to be neutral.
Which of the following provides the best source of authority for this federal statute?
A. Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment.
B. The general welfare clause of Article I, Section 8.
C. The privileges and immunities clause of Article IV, Section 2.
D. The takings clause of the Fifth Amendment.