A bill that would create licensing exemptions for hair stylists has passed through both chambers of the Utah State Legislature.
Senate Bill 87 — which is sponsored by Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo — would modify the state Cosmetology and Associated Professions Licensing Act to create a licensure exemption for a stylist who “dries, styles, arranges, dresses, curls, hot irons, shampoos, or conditions hair.”
The bill would not apply to cosmetologists that cut the hair, apply dye or “apply reactive chemicals to straighten, curl, or alter the structure of the hair.”
Unlicensed stylists would still be required to receive a “hair safety permit” by completing a two-hour “hair safety program” approved by the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing with a score of 75% or greater.
Libertarian advocacy groups that support the bill, including the Libertas Institute, argue the cosmetology industry is “highly burned by licensure” and Utah’s licensing requirements for stylists who only wash, blow-dry or style hair are overly burdensome.
Meanwhile, Utah cosmetologists say the legislative effort would hurt the industry and argue that property licensing and training are both essential for public safety.
“I think it would affect the industry because I think it incentivizes businesses and corporations to underpay their workers and hold the stylists with the work they do, as well as the salon, to a lower standard,” Gentry Leonard, a cosmetology student at Cameo College of Essential Beauty in Murray, told the Daily Herald on Jan. 29.
On Thursday, the House passed S.B. 87 on a 50-22 vote. The bill previously passed through the Senate on a 21-8 vote.
“There’s been a lot of robust discussion around this, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak with colleagues on this and members of the community,” House sponsor of the bill Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, said Thursday.
Pierucci said the bill came about by “looking at licensing requirements” and “trying to find those that are overly burdensome,” noting that getting a cosmetology license in Utah requires 1,200 hours of training and can cost between $5,000 and $15,000.
“This is about having a common-sense solution to overregulation,” the House sponsor said.
Rep. Marsha Judkins, R-Provo, said she “love(d) the concept of this bill” but was “worried about this 120-minute class not being enough.”
“There’s a big difference between 1,200 hours that’s required for cosmetology school and two hours that would be required for this,” Judkins said.
In response, Pierucci said she believed two hours “was an adequate amount of time to address the hygiene and sanitation concerns” and pointed out that getting a food handlers permit takes about 75 minutes.
Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, spoke in favor of the bill, sharing that she recently tried to get her hair washed and dried at a salon “because I was in a time crunch and knew that I wasn’t going to be going home before I returned to the Capitol the next day.”
“I was told, ‘No. There’s not enough money for stylists to (only) wash and blow-dry your hair,’” Birkeland said.
“So to me it seems like this is a perfect free-market solution,” the lawmaker continued. “People who want to do this should be given that opportunity, and they’re not doing the same thing that those stylists (that are cutting or dyeing hair) are doing.”
February 12, 2021 at 09:00AM
https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/legislature/utah-legislature-passes-licensing-exemption-bill-for-stylists-who-wash-dry-hair/article_490e5325-e2da-5ee9-a45c-46d82592df20.html
Utah Legislature passes licensing exemption bill for stylists who wash, dry hair - Daily Herald
https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment