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Committee advances bill to remove license requirement for makeup artists
Summary
The House Business Committee on Feb. 17 voted to send House Bill 121 to the House floor with a do-pass recommendation. Sponsor Rep. Jeff Ehlers said the law would allow makeup artists to practice without a state license; proponents cited few complaints and a small licensed cohort.
The House Business Committee voted Feb. 17 to send House Bill 121 to the full House with a do-pass recommendation. The bill would repeal state licensure for makeup artists while allowing practitioners to continue working without a state license.
Rep. Jeff Ehlers, sponsor of HB 121, told the committee the makeup-artist license was enacted in 2018 and currently covers a small number of practitioners. "Currently there's only 36 licenses," Ehlers said, contrasting that with other licensed professions. He said the proposal would let makeup artists practice without meeting the current licensure requirement.
Members questioned whether public-health or safety issues could arise if the license were removed. Rep. Barbieri asked whether safety concerns that prompted the original license had been addressed; Ehlers said he had not been approached about safety complaints and told the committee that DOPL records show zero consumer complaints in the last five years. "If you look in the line about complaints in the last 5 years, there have been none," Ehlers said.
Other committee members sought clarification about overlap with barber and cosmetology rules and about specific services such as eyelash application and permanent makeup. DOPL staff told the committee that eyelash application and tattoo-style permanent makeup do not fall under the makeup-artist definition in the cited code section, and that barbers and cosmetologists would remain licensed for hair-related services. Rep. Ehlers said the bill touches only on the makeup-artist portion of the barbers and cosmetology code.
Rep. Wheeler and others described the bill as a deregulation measure aimed at reducing entry barriers for practitioners. Rep. Harris noted that the current licensing requirement calls for 100 hours of training covering safety and disinfection and confirmed with Ehlers that no continuing education is required under the statute.
No members of the public offered testimony. Rep. Wheeler moved to send HB 121 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation; the committee approved the motion by voice vote.
The committee record shows questions from several members about safety and scope; sponsors and staff said complaints from consumers have not been recorded in the department's data for the prior five years. The proposed change would remove the licensing requirement but would not, by itself, create new criminal penalties or alter other consumer-protection tools.
