Vermont Hour Reduction Bill Heads to the Senate Floor

The California Assembly Appropriations Committee voted unanimously last week to send AB 2134 to the Assembly floor where the bill has been placed on the consent calendar. This bill, as previously reported, would allow students enrolled in a public barbering or cosmetology school, or a school of barbering approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, to work as an unpaid extern in a barbering/cosmetology establishment participating in the educational program of the school, subject to certain requirements and conditions. Under existing California law, a student who is enrolled in a private school of cosmetology can participate in such an internship.

In Vermont, the Senate passed H 684 last week without a roll call vote. The occupational licensure reform bill was subsequently cleared for transmittal to Governor Scott after the House concurred later in the day with Senate amendments. As previously reported, the measure will change the regulatory model for barbers and cosmetologists from a Board model to an Advisor model. Accordingly, regulatory decisions and oversight will be made by the Director of the Office of Professional Regulation with advice from two advisors from the profession who are chosen by the Secretary of State. Additionally, the measure will reduce the hours of instruction for a cosmetology license from 1,500 to 1,000. It will also reduce the hours of instruction for barbering from 1,000 to 750 hours, esthetics from 600 to 500 hours; and nail technician licensure from 400 to 200 hours.

Click here to read the full State Relations Update from Brian Newman.