At the beginning of the session, the Board of Cosmetology said they would push for this bill. Mississippi’s 350-hour requirement is in line with the national average of 368. But a bump to 600 hours would be the second highest burden in the nation, which is shared by eight states. Only Alabama’s 750 hours would be greater.
One of the chief arguments for the additional hours was for sanitation purposes. To address that, this bill would require one hour of continuing education on sanitation from the board. If sanitation is the biggest issue, one hour hardly seems sufficient. And this is the only mention of sanitation in the law.
We should focus on decreasing the burdens to work in Mississippi and figuring out a way to teach sanitary practices within the already allotted 350 hours.
Occupational licensing leads to a decrease in the number of people working and an increase in costs to everyone. That should not be our goal. Rather, we should move toward voluntary or non-regulatory options that help entrepreneurs start and run businesses while providing the maximum options for consumers, as outlined in the High Road to Freedom.
MCPP has reviewed this legislation and finds that it violates our principles and therefore must be opposed.
Read HB 550.
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