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Committee backs cosmetology board fee increases after board warns of deficits; amendment corrects permit fee wording
Summary
The committee approved House Bill 326, which raises multiple cosmetology license and permit fees (from $25 to $50 for many categories) after the State Board of Cosmetology told members the board has run deficits and cannot modernize testing facilities without higher revenue. An amendment fixed a typo and combined permit lines.
The House Committee on Commerce on April 22 voted to report House Bill 326 by Representative Butler favorably as amended. The bill would raise many license and permit fees administered by the State Board of Cosmetology; the board said it has not increased fees in decades and is operating near a deficit.
Representative Butler, a cosmetologist, said the board has not raised fees in about 41 years and the testing facility and IT systems are in poor condition: she said ceilings and floors in the testing facility needed repair and that antiquated software prevents cost-saving digital workflows. The board’s director, Steve Young, said about 40,000 licensees currently pay the $25 annual fee and that the board generates its own operating revenue and receives no state general-fund support. Young told the committee the proposed increase would provide several years of operating stability instead of repeated small increases.
An amendment (13-66) corrected a drafting omission and combined several permit categories (booth rental permit, special permit and temporary permit) so the $50 increase applies consistently. Representative Knox, Representative Green and others supported the increase while members acknowledged it is a meaningful step up for practitioners. Reverend Freddie Phillips Jr., who testified in opposition, urged the committee to examine alternative models used in other states to broaden participation and yield more revenue without raising barriers.
Committee members noted national and state changes in professional requirements and that the barber board fees already are higher; several members said an updated fee structure was reasonable given inflation and new statutory mandates the board must satisfy. Representative Davis moved the bill favorably as amended and the committee approved it by voice; no roll-call tally appears in the transcript.
