State Update - June 10

June 10, 2026

HEADLINES

• NC House Committee Advances Hour Reduction Bill
• Minnesota Enacts Omnibus Bill with Barbering and Cosmetology Provisions
• Colorado Governor Signs Cosmetology Sunset Extension Bill 

THIS WEEK IN THE STATES

The current week finds 12 state legislatures actively meeting. Virginia legislators will return to Richmond next week to finalize the Commonwealth’s biennial budget. Negotiations between the House and Senate have stalled due to a deep divide over whether to scale back or eliminate the sales and use tax exemption for data centers.

NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE COMMITTEE ADVANCES HOUR REDUCTION BILL

The North Carolina House Regulatory Reform Committee amended and favorably reported SB 808 to the House Finance Committee. While the text of the amendment adopted at Tuesday’s hearing is unavailable at press time, Senator Amy Galey indicated that she is continuing to work with Linda Elliot, Executive Director of Cosmetic Arts Examiners, to avoid unattended consequence and with a cosmetology school representative on hours.

As previously reported, the bill would reduce the course of instruction for cosmetology from 1,500 to 1,200 hours; establish a 900-hour hair design license; allow hair designers to stack esthetician and manicurist licenses by completing 300 and 100 hours, respectively; eliminate apprenticeship licensure, and; reduce the course of instruction required for cosmetology teachers from 800 to 500 hours.

At the hearing, representatives from Nurtur Aveda Institutes, Aveda Institute Chapel Hill, and Alexander Paul institute testified against the bill and hour reductions. Proponent testimony was offered by two representatives from Alamance Community College.



Why this is important: Additional amendments to SB 808 are possible as it moves through the legislative process. The bill has two additional stops – the House Finance Committee and the powerful House Rules, Calendar, and Operations Committee – before reaching the House floor.  

BARBERING & COSMETOLOGY MODIFICATIONS ENACTED IN MINNESOTA

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) signed a 46-page state government policy and finance bill – HF 4591 – into law last month that makes a numerous barbering and cosmetology revisions.

Key barbering provisions:

• Provide for straight shaving of the face or neck in the practice of barbering;
• Modify the education, age, and examination criteria for barber registration. The Act require barbering licensure applicants to be is at least 17 years of age and successfully complete 1,500 hours of study “of which 281 hours are classroom hours and 1,219 hours are practical.” 
• Eliminate a requirement for first-time applicants who fail the barbering licensure examination to obtain 500-hours of additional education;
• Establish a comprehensive review process for new barbering schools that includes consideration “during a meeting that is open to the public;” 
• Specify that cosmetologists may be credited up to 1,000 hours of study towards a 1,500-hour barbering license;

Key cosmetology provisions:

• Modify the definition of a “school” to be a place where cosmetology instruction or training is offered to the public for compensation.
• Add a “school administrator” definition;
• Synchronize the expiration date of an operator or salon manager license with the expiration date of an instructor license so that both expire on the same date;
• Specify that barbers may be credited up to 500 hours of study towards a 1,500-hour cosmetology license;
• Revise the list of promotional and information materials that a school must provide to the board as part of its school license application and eliminates a requirement to submit materials annually. The Act requires schools to provide the Board “materials that the school uses for prospective student enrollment, including the enrollment contract, the student handbook, and tuition and fee information.”
• Mandate separation in providing services through a salon or business that is on the same premises of a school.
• Provide that a school “may offer online instruction for theory-based portions of training. A school must not give practice-based classes must not be given training online.” Additionally, “a school may offer activities related to the training for industry educational purposes outside of a school building when accompanied by an instructor for a maximum of one percent of the total training hours for a course.”

Why this is important: HF 4591 was amended by Senate Finance Committee last month to become an omnibus state government policy and finance bill. It is common in Minnesota to roll up standalone bills in such an omnibus package to reflect legislative agreements and consensus. The barbering changes were requested by the Board of Barber Examiners and unanimously passed by the House in HF 3528. Similar bills for the Board of Cosmologist Examiners were introduced in the House (HF 4430) and Senate (SF 4217) but did not advance independently.

ADDITIONAL STATE BILL ENACTMENTS

Colorado HB 1181

The measure extends the state’s barbering and cosmetology Act until September 1, 2033. It also contains provisions to exempt certain services and providers – including electrologists and persons providing makeup application – from the Act.

Louisiana SB 54 – Effective August 1, 2026

The Act permit estheticians to engage in blow drying hair services if they are performed in combination with other esthetics services permitted by law. It also removes a requirement for cosmetologists seeking to become a “registered teacher of cosmetology” to have 12 months of work experience before starting the 500-hour teacher training course.

ADDITIONAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D) signed a natural hair braiding bill in to law last week. SB 2876, effective January 1, 2028, requires natural hair braiders to be registered, rather than licensed;  and requires the state’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology to adopt regulations for courses that cover sanitation, health, and the safety practices required for natural hair braiding.

A New York State mobile barbershop bill – A10137 – received final legislative approval last week with a unanimous Senate bill. 

Pennsylvania HB 1646, which modifies the quorum requirements for the State Board of Barber Examiner, was favorably reported from the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensing Committee to the Senate floor. According to the bill’s sponsor, “the board has recently had periodic difficulty reaching the quorum of six board members specified in the Barbers’ License Law. When there is no quorum, the board cannot meet to conduct business, meaning applications are not approved, disciplinary actions are not taken and anything requiring board member discussion grinds to a halt.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) signed an occupational licensure reform bill into law last month that exempts makeup artists from cosmetology or esthetics licensure. The Institute for Justice called HB 2530 “a major step forward in cutting unnecessary red tape that prevents people from entering and succeeding in the beauty industry.”

ON THE REGULATORY FRONT

Alabama’s Board of Cosmetology has officially noticed amended school equipment and supply rules. In addition to updating terminology and clarifying intent of the health and safety requirements, the rulemaking would remove the current requirement for schools to provide student lockers.

The Board has also proposed updated health and safety standards that update terminology without introducing new restrictions. Written comments on the rule updates that can submitted until July 15, 2026.

BILL TRACKING & QUESTIONS

Please visit the AACS State Legislative Tracking page to access bill text and to see what may be pending in your state(s). Please note that this resource contains bills not listed in this report that may be of interest or concern to your school or business.

Please contact StateGR@myaacs.org with comments or questions.