This report supplements our 2016 study Barriers to Braiding: How Job-Killing Licensing Laws Tangle Natural Hair Care in Needless Red Tape. That study investigated whether (1) braiding licenses keep people out of work and (2) braiding poses risks that justify occupational licensing. This report uses data from Illinois that we intended to include in Barriers to Braiding but were not available at the time. We finally obtained the data—complaints filed regarding Illinois hair braiders—after a four-and-a-half-year freedom-of-information legal battle with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. While severely limited, the data demonstrate that in Illinois, as in the other states studied in Barriers to Braiding, braiding is overwhelmingly safe. It remains true that braiding licenses do little more than prevent people from earning an honest living.
Related Cases
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Texas Fresh Start Social Worker
Texas—and the country—face a two-fold problem: an exploding mental health and substance abuse crisis and a dire shortage of professional social workers to address those issues. Yet rather than make it easier for qualified applicants…
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom
Florida Cultivated Meat Ban
Americans love meat. According to the USDA, between beef, pork, chicken, and turkey, the average American eats nearly 225 pounds of meat per year.
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Virginia Fresh Start II
People who have overcome drug or alcohol addiction often want to help others overcome addiction, too. Their firsthand experience can make them particularly well-suited to guide others through recovery. Melissa Brown is one of those…
Related Reports
Economic Liberty | Hair Braiding | Occupational Licensing
Barriers to Braiding
African-style hair braiding is a time-tested and natural craft. Yet most states force braiders to get a government license and take hundreds or even thousands of hours of classes to work legally. This study finds…