Great news, ShearShare community! The Council of State Governments (CSG) has partnered with the Department of Defense (DoD) and a coalition of state boards of cosmetology to support the mobility of licensed cosmetologists through the development of a new interstate compact. This additional licensing pathway will create reciprocity among participant states and reduce the barriers to license portability and employment.
Here’s what we know so far:
- This Cosmetology Compact coalition was formed last August (2021). At that time, CSG presented to a group called Unite As One to develop a coalition of cosmetology licensure boards.
- The compact will allow licensed cosmetologists in good standing to work in compact member states without having to get licensed. (!!!)
- The following organizations are in support of or have contributed to the development process of the Cosmetology Compact:
- Professional Beauty Association
- BlueCo Brands
- Future of the Beauty Industry Coalition
- Alabama Board of Cosmetology
- California Board of Cosmetology
- Iowa Cosmetology Arts & Sciences Board
- Kansas Board of Cosmetology
- Kentucky Board of Cosmetology
- Maryland Board of Cosmetology
- Minnesota Board of Cosmetology
- North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners
- ShearShare
- Tennessee Cosmetology and Barbers Board of Examiners
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance
- Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology
- An initial draft of the compact has been completed and the legislation is now available for review and public comment. CSG will be collecting feedback and making changes to the compact as necessary. (This process will take place over the next 6-8 weeks.)
- The Council of State Governments is hosting a weekly Zoom call to review the draft Cosmetology Compact legislation.
- Cosmetologists–that’s YOU!–are invited to submit feedback and public comment through an online survey. The survey is open!
Multistate License Feedback Survey
So go ahead and get familiar with the 23-page Cosmetology Compact draft. Then sign up for one of the weekly review sessions on Zoom that is open to the general public. The Council of State Governments (CSG) will walk attendees through each provision of the cosmetology compact. The intent of the Zoom series is to review the provisions in the draft Cosmetology Compact legislation and solicit feedback during the public comment period. Each meeting in this series will cover the same content, so you do not need to attend each occurrence.
Be sure to tell a friend! We hope to get as many people in the profession engaged in this process as possible. For any and all questions, email matthew.shafer@csg.org and tell him ShearShare sent you!
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