State Update - October 29

October 29, 2025

HEADLINES

• California and Colorado Release Sunset Reviews
• Michigan Schools Testify for Secondary Facilities
• Virginia Regulations Reducing Barbering Hours Enter Final Adoption Period 

THIS WEEK IN THE STATES

The week following the AACS Annual Conference finds 10 state legislatures actively meeting – including Virginia, which is currently meeting in special session to address Congressional redistricting. Democratic legislative leaders may seek a 10-1 or 9-2 map to replace the Supreme Court drawn boundaries that currently provide for six Democratic seats and five Republican seats.    

The special session is being held before Election Day next week as the General Assembly must pass the proposal twice with an election for the House of Delegates in between to amend the state’s constitution.  



Indiana Governor Mike Braun (R) has called a special session next week on redistricting and tax issues. Republican can gain one to two Congressional seats in the Hoosier State if they can secure the necessary votes in the State Senate. 

CALIFORNIA AND COLORADO RELEASE SUNSET REPORTS

California and Colardo recently released sunset review reports that will likely result in 2026 legislation. Neither report proposes hour reductions for beauty industry professions.

In California, the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology is requesting legislative language that would allow them, in addition to the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, to license schools. The Board is also seeking to: reduce fraud for reciprocal licenses; increase oversight of apprenticeships; establish combined barber/cosmo and nail/esti licenses, and; clean up remedial education language. 

The Sunset report (see pages 22 to 118 of the pdf) also states, “the Board believes there could be an additional requirement applied to approved schools that mandates a school not graduate a student unless they meet minimum practical standards. This may be accomplished by mandating schools to administer a practical examination prior to graduation.”

The Colorado Office of Policy, Research, and Regulatory Reform (COPRRR) 2025 Sunset Review of the state’s Barber and Cosmetologist Act, recommends extending the sunset of the Act for 11 years. It states, “the purpose of the Act is not to discern whether a haircut or a manicure is attractive. Consumers are best equipped to determine whether a service meets their expectations, and if it does not, to seek services from another licensee or in a different business. It is in the economic interest of licensees and registrants to provide the highest quality, most up-to-date services and products available. Rather, the Act was created to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.”

The report also recommends sunsetting the Advisory Committee that works with the Director of the Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure to address regulatory issues as it has meet only twice in the last four years and “will not compromise the Director’s ability to utilize expert advice. The Director can still convene ad hoc committees representing industry experts, for example, to address any regulatory issues that arise.” Additionally, the report recommends updated definitions and licensure exemptions for electrologists, and persons who provide make-up application, blow-dry styling, and nail polishing. 

Why this is important: Since these Sunset review reports will lead to 2026 legislation, schools and other beauty industry constituencies should closely work with their respective state associations and legislators to advance favorable provisions and address issues of concern.  

MICHIGAN SCHOOLS TESTIFY TO ALLOW SECONDARY FACILITIES

Representatives from three AACS member schools testified in favor of HB 4692 and HB 4693 last week. No one testified before the House Regulatory Reform Committee in opposition to the bills. HB 4692 would permit cosmetology schools to operate secondary school facilities, where cosmetology would be taught in a classroom setting. HB 4693 is a tie-barred bill that would allow the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) to assess an application processing fee of $100 and an annual licensing fee of $200 for each secondary school facility. The bill would also increase other licensure fees and authorize LARA to subsequently increase licensing fees “by a percentage amount equal to not more than the average percentage wage and salary increase granted for that state fiscal year to classified civil service employees employed by the department.”

Why this is Important: According to hearing testimony, Michigan cosmetology schools had the ability to operate a secondary school facility up to eight years ago when LARA indicated that they did not have the statutory authority to authorize them. School representatives noted that without the bill off-site expansion would require a costly and time-consuming separate school license. 

While no votes were taken at last week's hearing, LARA submitted a witness card indicating support of the bipartisian bills. The measures are on the Regulatory Reform Committee’s October 30 agenda for a possible vote.        

VIRGINIA BARBERING AND COSMETOLOGY RULEMAKING ENTER HOMESTRETCH

The Board for Barbers and Cosmetology has opened a final adoption comment period on barbering and cosmetology regulations as changes were made during the regulatory process due to the enactment of HB 2669 and HB 826. 

According to the Board’s filing, the Governor approved Chapter 102 (HB 2669) of the 2025 Acts of Assembly, which amended the definitions of “cosmetologist” and “cosmetology” to provide that cosmetic treatments are not included in these definitions. The legislation also revised these definitions to provide that the scope of practice included hair removal treatments. Specific hair removal treatments, such as waxing and tweezing, were previously provided for in these definitions. The legislation also added basic facial treatments and trimming to these definitions. The legislation also revised these definitions to provide that the scope of the regulated activity does not include shaving upon human hair, or a wig or hairpiece. The amendments to statute became effective on July 1, 2025…Provisions in the regulation pertaining to curriculum requirements for a cosmetology training program are revised to conform to the changes in statute.”

Provisions in the regulation that “might permit the Board to refuse a license or certificate based on ‘moral turpitude’ were also removed from the regulation” due to the passage of HB 826.

A separate rulemaking for esthetics is also available for comment due to the removal of “moral turpitude” language. 

Comments on the regulatory proposals are due by November 19, 2025, to allow the regulation to become effective on December 1, 2025.

Why this important: Amendments reducing the course of instruction for barbering (from 1,100 to 750 hours) and master barbering (from 1,500 to 1,000 hours) were adopted by the Board in July and remain on-track to become effective on December 1, 2025. According to the official economic review in the rulemaking docket, the lower hours for barbering could “result in a loss of approximately $5,049 in revenue per student, if a school elects to reduce the number of program hours to the minimum.” However, “it is possible that the reduction in the minimum number of required hours may result in an increase in the number of students enrolling in licensed barber programs based on the potential reduced program cost and the potential ability to receive licensure more quickly.”

BRIEFLY NOTED

Final Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering regulations were posted online last week. While many of the changes are stylistic or to update statutory language, formatting, and terminology, AACS is continuing to review the regulatory filings.   

Final Utah sanitation rules that apply to facilities and schools became effective on October 21, 2025. The modifications were primarily administrative to update terminology and statutory references, particularly around body art, body piercing, and permanent cosmetics. 

BILL TRACKING AND QUESTIONS

Please visit our enhanced State Legislative Tracking page to access bill text and to see what may be pending in your state(s). Please note that this resource contains bills not listed in this report that may be of interest or concern to your school or business.

Please contact StateGR@myaacs.org with comments or questions.