Committee approves cosmetology licensure compact bill, citing portability for military spouses and domestic violence survivors

A House committee voted to advance legislation that would join a multistate cosmetology licensure compact governing portability of cosmetology licenses across member states.

Representative Miller, sponsor of House Bill 11-33, said the compact helps military families by allowing license portability for spouses who move among member states and can help survivors of domestic violence obtain work more quickly when they relocate. "It would be beneficial for Indiana to join," Miller said, noting earlier committee consideration of related cosmetology legislation.

Keith Buckout, a policy analyst with the Council of State Governments, described the compact as the result of an 18-month development process working with the Department of Defense. He said the compact keeps state regulatory control over practice acts while enabling multistate portability via a compact commission. Buckout said eight states have enacted the compact and that the commission has convened but not yet adopted bylaws and rules.

Committee members questioned whether membership would mean accepting other states' lower-hour requirements. Buckout said a license transferred under the compact would have to be an active, unencumbered single-state license from the home state; he said one compact member (Virginia) recently reduced training hours to 1,000, which could affect portability if a license-holder's home state had that shorter requirement.

The committee took a roll-call vote and recorded the result as 10 in favor and 1 opposed. Representative Mosley voted no; most other members voted yes, with one member excused and one vote held open during the roll call.