Committee continues Arizona Barbering and Cosmetology Board after auditor flags inconsistent discipline

The Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted 7–0 to recommend that the Arizona Barbering and Cosmetology Board implement the Auditor General’s recommendations and be continued for six years, the committee chair announced after a January hearing.

Katie Grosbowski of the Arizona Auditor General’s Office told the committee the September 2025 performance audit and sunset review found the consolidated board had not consistently applied its own disciplinary guidelines. She said auditors reviewed licensing and complaint files and found examples in which staff recommended $500 civil penalties but the board dismissed complaints for similar violations. The report included two recommendations tied to that primary finding and 23 additional recommendations addressing licensing, inspections, open meeting and public records compliance, and conflict-of-interest processes.

Frank Magali, executive director of the Barbering and Cosmetology Board, said the board agrees with the findings and has taken steps to address them. He told the committee the board updated its disciplinary parameters, effective Jan. 1, 2026, and implemented a written policy to document reasons for deviating from civil-penalty guidelines on Nov. 21, 2025. “These changes ensure that our disciplinary process is now more transparent, consistent and documented,” Magali said.

Committee members repeatedly pressed staff and the board on several practical concerns: who reviews applications (auditors found one staffer had been approving all license types), how the board documents mitigating factors, whether the board has revisited past inconsistent discipline decisions, and whether the licensing system now collects proof of lawful U.S. residence as required by ARS 41-1080. Magali said the board implemented verification of lawful residence in its IT licensing system beginning in February (implemented for all license types by February 2024 in the system) and that staff now collect and verify documentation.

Auditors recommended that the board follow its disciplinary guidelines consistently and develop procedures to document any deviations. The board’s executive director said staff have begun implementing most recommendations and provided a timeline showing several milestones through June.

The committee’s motion instructed follow-up: the Auditor General’s Office will check implementation as part of its six-month follow-up process and report back to the committee. By committee vote, the board was continued until July 1, 2032.

What’s next: the Auditor General’s Office will begin follow-up work in March to confirm the board’s progress in implementing its recommendations.