State Update - September 3

September 3, 2025

HEADLINES

• Regulatory Updates from Ohio and Kentucky
• Recap of 2025 Hour Reduction Bills

THIS WEEK IN THE STATES

The current week finds 10 state legislatures actively meeting – including Oregon and Texas meeting in special session. Oregon’s special session is focused on transportation funding as the state has a $300 million transportation budget hole that threatens road repair and snowplowing. The legislature is considering an EV road usage charge that is equivalent to 5 percent of the state’s gas tax and raising the gas tax by 6 cents to 46 cents per gallon.

With the redistricting fight behind them, Texas legislators are returning to Austin this week to address property taxes, THC regulation, and replacing the STAAR test – the high stakes standardized test that is administered to public primary and secondary school students.

The Republican Legislative Campaign Committee will be meeting next week in Charleston, SC. Over 50 state legislative leaders – including six Speakers of the House – will be attending the Fall Meeting.  

KENTUCKY SUBCOMMITTEE AMENDS PROPOSED COSMETOLOGY REGULATIONS

The Commonwealth’s Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee has amended proposed Board of Cosmetology regulations. This step in the regulatory process occurs after the public hearing and public comment period processes are completed. The proposed regulations will be subsequently referred by the Legislative Research Commission to an appropriate committee of jurisdiction for a second review.



The proposed regulations contain several provisions of interest, including:

• Prohibiting an applicant who fails either the theory test or the practical demonstration for retesting until “one (1) calendar month has elapsed from the date the applicant received actual notice of failure.”
• Eliminating the requirement that schools become accredited within two years of becoming licensed. 
• Requiring schools to provide prospective students with their licensure examination passage rates.
• Revising the minimum faculty to student ratio from 20 to 25 students.
• Prohibiting an instructor for proving "dermaplaning" instruction unless the instructor has “submitted evidence demonstrating the completion of courses and specialized training regarding dermaplaning that is deemed sufficient by the board to safely instruct students regarding these techniques.” 
• Specifying that dermaplaning procedures are for “basic exfoliation” and require specialized training.

Please see pages 369 to 384 of the Administrative Register of Kentucky for the full text of the proposed regulations.

Why this is Important: The Board stated in their Regulatory Impact Analysis that “opportunities to get a license will increase, small beauty schools will not have to worry about the cost of accreditation while keeping students informed about their pass rate, and military families will be able to transfer at a lower cost and begin to work as a cosmetologist, nail technician, esthetician, or instructor quicker than before.” The amendments are also necessary “to eliminate outdated language about testing and amend the duties of the Executive Director when hiring staff or conducting inspections.”  

OHIO BOARD SCHEDULES RULEMAKING HEARING

Ohio’s Cosmetology and Barber Board has released the following proposed amended rules.

Proposed Amended Rules:

4713-1-16 Abandonment of applications.

4713-3-03 School layout.

4713-5-01 Definitions.

4713-5-02 Program requirements.

4713-5-03 Required course curriculum.

4713-6-02 Eligible participants.

4713-7-09 Out of state license holder applications for Ohio licenses.

4713-11-08 Residential salons and barber shops.

4713-11-10 Services that may be provided in a salon or barber shop.

4713-15-03 Disinfection of implements and spills; blood and body fluids.

4713-15-05 Proper protection of neck.

4713-15-11 Proper laundering methods.

4713-19-09 Maintaining records for sunlamp product services.

Proposed Rules for Rescission: 

4713-1-04 Public hearings.



The program requirements amendments contain distance learning provisions of interest to Ohio schools. First, they specify that “distance learning assignments that are not completed through a program or system that tracks the time the student is engaged must have predetermined amount of time assigned.” They also state that distance learning is “not permitted as a method of delivery of clinical services on a live model/client.”

The amendments to 4713-5-03 eliminate the required course of instruction for barber instructors. According to the Board, the provision should be removed “following the passage of HB158 for a program the Board does not approve, and as a result the Board believes it should be left as a business decision.” 

A rulemaking hearing will be held Monday, September 22, 2025, in Grove City. Click here for additional information.

Why this is Important: Several of the proposed rules address the 2024 passage of HB 158, which harmonized barber and cosmetology code following the consolidated of the professions under a combined Board in 2018. For example, the rule addressing school layout requirements (4713-3-03) is being amended to “clarify certain aspects of school layouts following the creation of a single school license following the passage of HB 158.”  

RECAP OF 2025 STATE HOUSE REDUCTION BILLS

The following is a compendium of 2025 state hour reduction bills. Bills listed in red are dead and bills in listed in green have been enacted into law. In total, five states introduced hour reduction bills in 2025.

Illinois HB 3854 would have reduced the following courses of instruction: barbering (from 1,500 to 1,200 hours); barber teacher (from 500 to 400 hours or from 1,000 to 800 hours depending on years of experience); cosmetology (from 1,500 to 1,200 hours); cosmetology teacher (from 500 to 400 hours or from 1,000 to 800 hours depending on years of experience); esthetics (from 750 to 600 hours); esthetics teacher (from 500 to 400 hours or from 750 to 600 hours depending on years of experience); nail Technology (from 350 to 280 hours); nail technology teacher (from 500 to 400 hours or from 625 to 600 hours depending on years of experience); hair braiding (from 300 to 240 hours), and; hair braiding instructor (from 500 to 400 hours with two years of experience.

Indiana’s cosmetology hour reduction bill – HB 1329 – failed to meet a February crossover deadline. As introduced, the measure would have reduced the required hours for cosmetology and barbering from 1,500 to 1,000 hours. 

Nevada AB 225 would have reduced the course of instruction for barbering (from 1,500 to 1,000 hours), cosmetology (from 1,600 to 1,000 hours), hair design (from 1,000 to 600 hours), and expand apprenticeships. The measure would also deregulate blow-dry styling, hair braiding and shampoo technology. Additionally, it contains provisions allowing unlicensed individuals to cut hair under the immediate supervision of a barber, cosmetologist or hair designer if they disclose to the customer that they are not licensed.  

New Hampshire SB 194, reduced the course of instruction for cosmetology from 1,500 to 1,200 hours.

Utah SB 330 – Key provisions include: reducing the course of instruction for cosmetology from 1,600 to 1,250 hours; reducing the course of instruction for hair design from 1,200 to 1,000 hours; increasing the course of instruction for eyelash technology from 100 to 270 hours, and; establishing the following low-hour permits – basic esthetics (200 hours), non-chemical barbering (130 hours), chemical hair services (260 hours), haircutting (150 hours), and facial hair removal (50 hours) – which are most likely non-transferable to another state. 

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.