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Committee hears technical licensing updates to barber and cosmetology boards

Minnesota Senate Committee on State and Local Government · March 11, 2026

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Summary

Bills updating licensing and exam rules for the Board of Barber Examiners and the Board of Cosmetology were laid over after testimony that changes will reduce duplicative education and speed entry to the workforce while implementing OLA recommendations.

The committee considered technical updates to professional licensing for barbers and cosmetologists. Senator Hemmingsen Jaeger presented two bills: SF 4001 for the Board of Barber Examiners and SF 4217 for the Board of Cosmetology.

Brent Grabanovsky, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Barber Examiners, said SF 4001 would remove the requirement that a barber student who fails the registered barber exam must complete an additional 500 hours of schooling, permit the board to schedule more frequent examinations, align age requirements with national standards (minimum age 17), and give credit for overlapping training from cosmetology. "This bill will remove barriers of entry for those interested in barbering in Minnesota," he said.

Jenna Bull testified for the Board of Cosmetology on SF 4217, which implements Office of Legislative Auditor recommendations to align instructor renewal cycles, reduce rarely used permits, extend military temporary licenses, authorize complaint-committee disciplinary orders while preserving hearing rights, and establish corrective-action options for minor compliance issues.

Both bills were laid over for possible inclusion.