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Friday, May 20, 2016

Unlicensed hair-washers face jail in Tennessee

Shampooing Hair Without A License Could Mean Jail Time In Tennessee - Forbes - Nick Sibilla, Institute for Justice:

May 5, 2016 - "When Tammy Pritchard was a young mother, shampooing hair provided much-needed income and even helped put her through college. Today, this part-time police officer wants to wash hair at a beauty salon operated by her friend in Tennessee.

"Unfortunately for Tammy, unlicensed shampooing is a crime, punishable by up to six months in jail. The Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners can also impose civil penalties as high as $1,000 for those who dare to lather, rinse and repeat without a license.

"On Monday, Tammy partnered with the Beacon Center of Tennessee and filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Board in order 'to vindicate the right of Tennesseans to pursue an honest living.'

"Before she can legally wash hair at a salon, Tammy must finish 300 hours of training on 'the practice and theory of shampooing'.... [P]rospective shampooers learn about the 'chemistry and composition of shampoos and conditioners,' 'shampooing and rinsing foreign material from hair,' and 'shop management,' which covers remedial skills like 'answering phone, scheduling appointments, ordering supplies.' After completing the class, shampooers then have to pass two exams... One school that previously taught the course charged $3,225 for tuition, books, kit, uniform and other fees....

"Incredibly, no schools in Tennessee currently offer the shampoo technician curriculum. So to comply with the law, shampooers must instead acquire a broader cosmetologist license. That requires 1,500 hours of training, or five times as much coursework as the shampooer license....

"According to the Institute for Justice, only four other states even license shampooing, with training requirements ranging from a mere three hours of coursework in West Virginia to 150 hours in New Hampshire. In 2013, Texas decided to scrap its shampooer license after the agency that regulated the practice called for the 'elimination' of this 'unnecessary burden on Texans.'

"A 2012 study by the Institute for Justice found Tennessee to be the '13th most broadly and onerously licensed state'.... Many license requirements make little sense. Athletic trainers, auctioneers, opticians, barbers, massage therapists, makeup artists, manicurists and shampooers all need more experience for their licenses than emergency medical technicians need for theirs. In fact, almost a quarter of Tennessee’s workforce is licensed according to a report by the Brookings Institution.'"

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2016/05/05/shampooing-hair-without-a-license-could-mean-jail-time-in-tennessee/
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