On Sunday, bipartisan legislation to exempt freelance hair and makeup artists from being required to obtain a full cosmetology license cleared its final hurdle in the Minnesota Legislature. The bill, Senate File 2228, passed the Senate by a vote of 64-3 on Wednesday and by a vote of 128-4 in the House of Representatives on Sunday.
“When we make an attempt at returning to life as we knew it after the COVID-19 pandemic runs its course, there will be more than 1,000 freelance hair and makeup artists who deserve the opportunity to continue doing what they love,” said Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Marys Point), the bill’s chief author. “I am so incredibly happy to report the bill has now decisively passed both houses of the legislature and is on its way to Governor Walz’s desk.”
In 2018, the Minnesota Board of Cosmetology arbitrarily changed its interpretation of state law, requiring freelance hair and makeup artists to obtain a full cosmetology license. Senate File 2228 will exempt freelance hair and makeup artists – those who clean, dry, arrange, and style hair, or apply cosmetics to the face and skin – from the Board of Cosmetology’s licensing requirements. Freelance hair and makeup artists will still be required to take a four-hour sanitation training course from a state-approved continuing education provider.
“When the Board of Cosmetology decided to arbitrarily change the rules a couple of years ago, they stripped these men and women of their livelihoods. These are the hair and makeup artists we hire for weddings, proms, and photoshoots – not cosmetologists that work in a salon. They don’t work with chemicals or cut hair; there’s no reason they should be subject to such an extreme regulatory burden, especially when it does not appear to have been done in good faith,” said Senator Housley. “Now, let’s get this signed into law.”
Senator Karin Housley, of St. Marys Point, represents the Forest Lake area and the St. Croix River Valley in the Minnesota Senate. Senator Housley is chairwoman of the Family Care and Aging Committee and is an assistant majority leader.