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Bill to join interstate cosmetology compact wins industry support, cites benefits for military spouses
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Summary
House Bill 705 would enact the Cosmetology Licensure Compact, allowing multistate cosmetology practice among member states; employers and compact proponents said the measure improves mobility for military spouses and helps fill workforce shortages.
Senator Zafarini laid out House Bill 705, which would enact the Cosmetology Licensure Compact and designate the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation as the compact administrator if Texas joins. The compact permits eligible cosmetologists licensed in a member state to obtain a multistate license to practice in other compact states while preserving state authority over education, scope of practice and discipline.
Leslie Rossi of the Future of the Beauty Industry Coalition said the compact “benefits Texas licensees and employers alike,” helps fill vacancies and speeds license portability; she noted 10 states had enacted the compact and more states were expected to join and begin issuing multistate licenses in 2026. Gordon Logan of Sport Clips emphasized military spouse mobility, saying military spouses “would not need to go through the difficulty of transferring their license to Texas,” and described examples of long, costly license transfer processes that left practitioners unable to work.
Keith Buckhout of the Council of State Governments explained the compact structure and said it preserves state regulatory authority while enabling bidirectional mobility similar to the driver’s license compact. The committee closed public testimony and left HB 705 pending.
