CALDWELL, Idaho — A bill moving through the Idaho Legislature would significantly reduce the training hours required to become a licensed cosmetologist, sparking opposition from salon owners and instructors who worry about safety and preparedness.
House Bill 547 would cut cosmetology school requirements from 1,600 hours to 1,000 hours, while apprenticeship hours would drop from 3,200 hours to 2,000 hours.
WATCH: Learn the bill breakdown and reactions from cosmetologists
"So it's like, why don't you just YouTube it then at this point? Why are we doing this?" said Rebecca Whitmire, owner of Caldwell Elevation Salon.
The bill has support from some House Republicans, including Ron Crane, who questioned the need for extensive licensing requirements during committee discussion.
"You got perm, you got color, you got facials, you get under this license; all of those my 15-year-old daughter does at home," Crane said.
Crane later added, "I'm really struggling to be candid, why this even needs to be licensed."
During a House Business Committee hearing last month, several veteran stylists and instructors warned that cutting training hours could affect safety, preparedness and professionalism in salons.
"We had a stylist fry a mannequin head. And all she was doing was showing us what she can do with her techniques on foiling, and by the time we looked over, the hair was falling off onto the ground," Whitmire said.
Courtney Christine, owner of Elevation Salon, said the comments from lawmakers show a lack of understanding about the industry.
"People just still don't take our industry seriously, and there is so much more to it than what anybody gives the salon industry credit for," Christine said.
Instructors also raised concerns about how much material students could realistically learn in fewer hours.
Burley instructor Ronda Clark says that serious cuts will need to be made to the curriculum if the bill is passed. "We are going to cherry-pick very few points in this book [curriculum] in order to get them through in that amount of time," Clark said.
Currently, Idaho law requires cosmetology students to complete 90% of their training hours before taking the state board exam. That requirement would remain under House Bill 547. However, because the total number of required hours would be lower, students could become eligible to take the exam after roughly 900 hours of training.
Salon owners say less training means less confidence and more time and money spent retraining new hires.
"The amount that they will not be learning with 1,000 hours is going to be directly related to the confidence that they have coming on the floor," Christine said.
When you have the passion to do your job well, the willingness to keep learning, and the courage to invest in yourself, you naturally value your craft more, and the results you create are more appreciated.
"Yeah, that confidence was taken away with the 400 hours they took away, and now they're taking away 600 hours more," Whitmire added.
House Bill 547 is expected to be taken up for a vote in the coming days.
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