The way Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita figures it, no one ever died from a bad hair style or blow dry 鈥 at least not literally.
So the Scottsdale Republican wants to repeal a state law that says you can鈥檛 style hair in 蜜柚直播 without at least 1,100 hours of training at a state-licensed school.
Ugenti-Rita said she was approached by lobbyists for Drybar, a decade-old national firm that specializes in quickie blowouts. That can include everything from a shampoo to simply putting someone鈥檚 hair up with pins.
The firm already has three locations in the state.
But to do just that in 蜜柚直播 requires a state license, something Ugenti-Rita said could cost close to $10,000.
鈥淲hen they told me about the scope of their business, you could clearly see that it was an impediment to them hiring,鈥 she said.
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Ugenti-Rita said what鈥檚 being done there is far different than a beauty salon.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 even get haircutting,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have scissors there.鈥
Nor do they do things like hair coloring or use chemicals to make a perm.
鈥淭hey blow it out, style, arrange, they curl,鈥 Ugenti-Rita said. 鈥淢aybe they use some bobby pins.鈥
The bottom line, she said, is her belief that nothing being done there should require a state-issued license.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see a public health or safety issue,鈥 she said.
Her HB 2011 would create an exception from licensing for those who 鈥渄ry, style, arrange, dress, curl, hot iron or shampoo and condition hair鈥 as long as there are no 鈥渞eactive chemicals to permanently straighten, curl or alter the structure of the hair.鈥
鈥淭he worst that can happen is you don鈥檛 like the way your hair is styled,鈥 Ugenti-Rita explained, as there would be no cutting and no permanent change to someone鈥檚 hair.
Prior efforts to create exemptions have been met with sometimes fierce opposition from the cosmetology community.
As far back as 1983, Douglas Norton, who was the state auditor general at the time, recommended to lawmakers that they scrap all laws requiring licenses of all cosmetologists or barbers.
鈥淟icensing is not justified because of possible harm from the use of barber implements or chemical solutions because such items are readily available to and routinely used by the general public,鈥 Norton said. But legislators ignored the report amid stiff opposition from the regulated community.
There has been some move toward deregulation more recently, albeit on a piecemeal basis.
In 2004, over the objection of cosmetologists, lawmakers decided that people who only braid hair for a living no longer have to be licensed.
Seven years later, the board agreed to stop trying to regulate 鈥渢hreading,鈥 the practice of using thread to pluck eyebrows. But that came only after the Institute for Justice filed suit.
And earlier this year, Gov. Doug Ducey personally interceded when the board sought to shut down the operation of Juan Carlos Montes de Oca for giving free haircuts to the homeless in a 蜜柚直播 park.
There was no immediate response from the cosmetology board to the proposal.
Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said his boss has not yet seen the measure. But he suggested the proposal would get the approval of his boss if it makes its way through the Legislature.
鈥淭he governor鈥檚 bias would be toward making it easier for people to do it, especially if we鈥檙e not talking about anything that would jeopardize public health or safety,鈥 Scarpinato said.
鈥淲e鈥檇 want to know the details and talk to the people that are dealing firsthand with it,鈥 he continued. 鈥淏ut if we can get more people who otherwise would not be able to get hired for a job in there without them having to spend a lot of money on fees or education, that鈥檚 something the governor would be very much in favor of.鈥
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