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Committee clears bill exempting hair braiders from state cosmetology license
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to approve HB281, which removes the state cosmetology licensure requirement for hair braiders and locticians and adopts a technical amendment clarifying prior citations will not bar future licensure decisions.
The House Commerce & Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to advance House Bill 281, which removes the state cosmetology-licensing requirement for natural hair braiders and locticians and adopts an amendment clarifying that prior citations for braiding without a license will not prevent later licensure decisions.
Proponents described braiding as a culturally transmitted, non-chemical practice that cosmetology schools typically do not teach. Timothy Green of the City of Albuquerque's culture-change efforts told the committee that the current 1,200-hour cosmetology requirement is financially and culturally prohibitive for many braiders and locticians, including immigrant communities, people exiting incarceration, and Indigenous and Black communities. "Cosmetology licensing is not essential for public safety," Green said, arguing the practice should be exempted from the current statute.
City and community witnesses, including Ni'ima Pickett of the Office of Black Community Engagement and multiple practicing braiders, described generational apprenticeship, low overhead earnings potential and how removing the licensure requirement would create small-business opportunities. Jordan Menakis of the Institute for Justice, testifying remotely, noted 35 other states have enacted similar exemptions and that available data do not show increased consumer harm where braiding is exempted from full cosmetology licensure.
Regulation and Licensing Department staff noted the Board of Barbers and Cosmetology strongly opposed the bill in the fiscal-impact report, but committee members and witnesses said the board's letter demonstrated limited understanding of textured-hair practices. The committee adopted a clarifying amendment (231355) to make the bill's language about prior citations explicit.
The committee passed the bill as amended on a 10-0 vote. The measure removes state-level licensure for braiding and leaves local business licensing requirements intact, meaning practitioners who earn income from braiding would still need the usual local business permits.
