Cosmetology House bill passes, reaction
Correction: According to Rep. Jeff Thompson, makeup artists who are licensed and who are not, can both freelance in Idaho.
A bill that will affect the cosmetology business has passed the Idaho House. The Barber and Cosmetology Services Act, or Bill 136, was approved Tuesday and many salon owners are on the fence about what this will mean for the future of their industry.
Vicky Ellis has owned Vogue Beauty College and Salon in Idaho Falls for 50 years. She watched the hearing online Tuesday evening, and said she was disappointed in the House’s decision.
“I think the repercussions would tear our licensing apart,” said Ellis, “There are things in this bill that are good, there are things in this bill that are bad. The things that are good is that we want cosmetology and barberry to be together. Makes sense — it’s good for all of us.”
Said Rep. Jeff Thompson, a co-sponsor of the bill: “We’ve been talking about these issues for many, many years. And so when it all came to fruition all in a single bill, it seemed like being the right thing — in my mind — to do for consumers and for students.”
Along with combining Idaho barbers with cosmetology, there are several other parts to this bill. It gives professionals a 90-day grace period to renew their license, allows kiosks to provide cosmetic services in malls without a license, and reduces the number of hours to get a license from 2,000 to 1,600 hours.
“We’re fighting this bill because we feel like our kids won’t get the education that they want or need. And what if we have to cut something out of our curriculum? That’s not fair to the kids,” Ellis said.
“At 2,000 hours it’s my understanding that EMT’s don’t have that many hours, when you look at the requirement of that … it seemed to me that it was time to consider that,” Thompson said.
The bill will also allow makeup artists to freelance without a license, but licensed professionals are still not allowed to freelance outside of their establishments.
“In my mind, it’s not that there are things in the bill that are not workable. I’d like to see these makeup artists get licensing. But let’s work together and make them valid. Make them part of our industry,” Ellis said.
The bill passed 58-11-1 in the House. If the bill passes the Senate and is signed by the governor, it will become law.
