House Appropriations advances bill raising caps on barber licensing fees

The House Committee on Appropriations voted to give Senate Bill 28 a favorable recommendation after supporters said the measure is necessary to stabilize the South Dakota Barber Board’s finances and pay for a modern license database.

Proponents told the committee that current fee limits have not kept pace with costs. Jody Amer, director of professional licensing for the Board of Barber Examiners, said the board has been using reserve funds but has exhausted them and can no longer cover operating costs. “Our licensee database, its most important tool, has become old and brittle and now poses risks and limitations to the board's operations,” Amer said. She said higher fee caps would allow the board to offer online payments, renewals and restore inspection and complaint response capacity.

The bill would raise statutory caps on multiple barbering-related fees; supporters described the change as creating a higher ceiling rather than an immediate across‑the‑board increase. Justin Lesh, a barber and president of the Barbers Association of South Dakota, told the committee SB 28 provides a cap that “will provide a ceiling for the Barber Board's budget ensuring that it can continue to operate efficiently.” Lesh said the board would not necessarily set fees at the new caps.

Committee members pressed for specifics on what licensees would actually pay if the caps are raised. Committee member Representative Kolbeck asked for a per‑barber estimate. Lesh said final fee amounts had not been set but estimated a single practicing barber’s combined annual fees could land “about $200” in the near term; he and board representatives described the $300 figure in the bill as a five‑year cap rather than an immediate target. Committee members noted the statute sections changed in the bill and asked whether the board had polled licensees; Amer and Lesh said the board and the Department of Labor had surveyed barbers and that the majority preferred remaining independent and paying higher fees rather than consolidating with cosmetology.

The committee moved the bill by motion: Representative Muckey moved a "do pass" recommendation; the motion was seconded per the transcript. The roll call recorded seven "aye" votes and two excused members; the committee chair declared the motion carried.

Votes and next steps: The committee recommended SB 28 for passage out of committee; the measure will move to the House floor for further consideration.