Relating to the practice of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences and providing transition provisions

This bill relates to the practices of barbering and cosmetology. The bill merges the boards of cosmetology arts and sciences and barbering into the board of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences, repeals Code chapter 158 governing barbering, and makes conforming changes. The bill gives the board of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences all of the powers and responsibilities of the prior boards. The bill provides that current members of the boards of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences shall become members of the merged board until their terms otherwise expire or they are otherwise replaced. The bill also provides that the current rules of both boards shall remain in effect until the board of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences amends, rescinds, or supplements the rules, or the rules expire by their own terms. The bill grants the board of barbering, the board of cosmetology arts and sciences, and the board of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences emergency rulemaking authority to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill also provides other transition provisions. The bill changes the definition of “cosmetology” by removing arranging, braiding, and dressing of hair and adds hairstyling. The bill also adds nail technology and barbering to the practices encompassed within the definition of “cosmetology”. The bill directs the board of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences to develop a program for the certification of current cosmetologists to perform shaving with a straight edge razor. The bill removes “manicuring and pedicuring” from the definition of “cosmetology arts and sciences”. The bill replaces the term “salon” with the term “establishment” and defines the “establishment” to mean a fixed or readily movable place where one or more persons engage in the practice of cosmetology arts and sciences. The bill sets the training requirements for a license to practice esthetics to 600 hours and the training requirements for a license to practice nail technology to 325 hours. The bill renames schools of cosmetology arts and sciences to “schools of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences”. The bill allows a school of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences to be used for purposes other than student instruction so long as the activities do not disturb student instruction. The bill also directs the board of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences to adopt rules for the licensure of persons who practice barbering and hairstyling. Under current law, cosmetologists and barbers may both provide services that include hairstyling. The bill preserves the ability of cosmetologists to provide such services and instructs the board to create a new license permitting barbering and hairstyling licensees to provide only barbering and hairstyling services. The bill provides a definition of hairstyling and adds hairstyling to the list of cosmetology arts and sciences disciplines. The bill also includes definitions for “barbering” and “hairstyling”. The bill also provides for the development of a process for the licensure of persons who provide both hairstyling and barbering services but who do not practice any of the other cosmetology arts and sciences.