Pennsylvania Legislature Passes Bill Ending Occupational Licensing for Hair Braiders

ARLINGTON, Va. –Yesterday, Pennsylvania moved towards becoming the 34th state to eliminate licensing for natural hair braiders, thanks to the Senate passing HB 1820 by a near unanimous 49-1 vote. With a rich heritage spanning millennia, natural hair braiding is a beauty practice common in many African American and African immigrant communities. Unlike cosmetologists, braiders do not cut hair or use any harsh chemicals or dyes in their work.
“We’re excited to see continued progress toward ending unneeded and burdensome licensing,” said Meagan Forbes, the Institute for Justice’s Director of Legislation and Senior Legislative Counsel. “We’ve seen in other states that lifting licensing requirements for braiders creates new businesses, jobs and services for consumers. This bill will help make sure braiders have every opportunity to succeed.”
HB 1820, if signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro, would help alleviate some of the barriers that prevent Pennsylvanians from working. According to the Institute for Justice’s report, License to Work, the average license for low- and moderate-income jobs in Pennsylvania takes 120 days of education and experience. And those required classes can be very expensive.
For instance, the cosmetology license, which some states have classified hair braiding under, is one of the commonwealth’s most popular licenses. In Pennsylvania, it takes at least 1,250 hours of classes to get a license in cosmetology. On average, a cosmetology program in the commonwealth costs $16,802, while the average student takes out $7,331 in federal student loans. Braiders in Pennsylvania had to complete 300 hours of training and pass an exam before they could legally work, but the training was often costly and hard to find.
The Institute for Justice advocates for the right to earn a living across the country and has been a leader in providing relief from burdensome regulations in the beauty industry for over three decades. When IJ established its National Braiding Initiative in 2014, only 11 states allowed braiders to work with needless licenses. No one should have to hire a lawyer or a lobbyist just to earn an honest living, and IJ will keep standing up for braiders until braiding freedom is a reality nationwide.
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To arrange interviews on this subject, journalists may contact Phillip Suderman, IJ’s Communications Project Manager at [email protected] (850) 376-4110. More information on this subject is available at: https://ij.org/issues/economic-liberty/braiding/