A bill currently on the floor of the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate is driving a wedge between hair salon stylists and cosmetology schools as lawmakers discuss eliminating restrictions in place for attaining a manager’s license in Ohio.
Current policy requires that cosmetologists undergo 1,500 hours of training at a licensed cosmetology school or 1,125 hours of training at a vocational school to earn their license. Private schools can also hand out manager’s licenses but require that a cosmetologist spend an additional 300 hours to obtain one.
The crux of the matter is that additional 300 hours. Schools can charge as much as $5,000 for that supplementary training and Ohio advocacy groups believe that it is an unfair barrier for someone seeking to become a salon manager.
Currently, stylists at salons are allowed to skip the managers training and take a licensing test instead. The test includes some of the material covered in the 300-hour cosmetology course, but is not as intensive. Salon owners believe that the training is unnecessary and tedious, but some beauty school licensed cosmetologists believe that it is a necessary tool for a career in the beauty industry.
On the other hand, advocates of the bill believe that the training is not only unnecessary but that it really only benefits the profit margins of private beauty schools.
“To me, this seems like a no brainer,” said Representative Kristina Roegner, the sponsor for the bill in the Ohio House. “Government doesn’t need to be putting undue, burdensome requirements on small businesses. This is the perfect example.”
While the bill is still under review, considerable support from lobbyists and positive debate in the house seems to suggest that the bill will pass. It remains to be seen how it will fair in the senate, but the lifting of this restriction could significantly ease the financial burden on salon owners and help to boost the beauty industry across Ohio.