New Wisconsin law allows hair braiding without a license
People who want to braid hair in Wisconsin do not have to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars learning about everything from comb-overs to the blue sanitizer in barbershops.
Gov. Tony Evers last week signed a new law (AB 121) that clarifies people who braid hair do not need a state license.
Wisconsin has never required braiders to get a state permission slip, though people who braid hair say the guidance they get is confusing. The Institute for Justice says braiders were sometimes told they “must complete 1,500 hours of training from a licensed cosmetology school, a requirement that takes at least 10 months and costs thousands of dollars.” The new law makes it clear none of that is necessary.
Julie Grace, a policy analyst at the Badger Institute, says the clarification is one more common sense step to deregulate what should be a job that anyone can step into.
“This new law removes unnecessary barriers to entry for natural hair braiders who want to practice or open a business in Wisconsin,” Grace said. “Hair braiding is a safe practice. Requiring a government-issued license – and hundreds of hours of costly training and education requirements – is simply unnecessary and overly burdensome.”
The Badger Institute has pushed for deregulation in Wisconsin for years. The Institute released a report last month that says nearly one in four people in the state need a license in order to do their job.
Grace said anything that can be done to lower that number is a good thing.
“Occupational licensing requirements are too often used to fence people out of professions,” said Grace. “The number of licensed occupations over the past few decades have exploded, and people with fewer resources are hardest hit. We’re encouraged by this bipartisan measure that will have a real impact on many women who are simply trying to make a living in their desired field. We encourage the Legislature to continue to eliminate or revise other unnecessary and confusing regulations.”
This article was originally posted on New Wisconsin law allows hair braiding without a license
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