Licensed cosmetology and barbering professionals in states across the country are currently being targeted for deregulation and delicensing as part of the current Administration's agenda.  In accordance, state governors and legislators are actively attempting to do away with state boards and the long standing practice of learning a profession and earning a license before practicing professional services upon the public. 

The dumbing down of deregulation involves allowing unlicensed workers to flood the industry where they will destroy the high sanitation standards we all currently enjoy but licensed professionals will be blamed for the horror stories that result and will thus suffer the consequences of such reckless delicensing legislation.  For years, the nail salon and worker industry has been plagued with illegal, unskilled and unlicensed workers and with this push to legalize unlicensed workers in the professional barbering and cosmetology industries, hair establishments are poised to become the next drive-thru sweatshops.

This petition is directed at Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and the 90 legislators who make up the Arizona Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives. As duly elected officials, they are sworn to make responsible and honest decisions about any regulation of the cosmetology and barbering professions- especially where proposed changes pose a foreseeable public health and safety risk.  People have literally lost life and limb from staph infections transmitted by unsanitary conditions in salons, often at the hands of illegal, untrained and unlicensed workers.  Unlicensed state lawmakers and governors should not even consider legalizing and unleashing unlicensed workers upon the professional cosmetology and barbering industries or the unsuspecting public- especially without any oversight from state boards!

Feel free to cold call or directly email Arizona legislators with your concern using this alphabetized list (with political party affiliations) here: https://www.azleg.gov/memberroster/

Change.org will send Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and the 90 Arizona legislators updates on this petition and encourage them to respond so tell them what you think in the comments.  By signing this petition, Arizona politicians at the Arizona State Capital will hear your voice and decide whether to listen or disregard your concerns about these proposed legislative changes.  So far, Arizona lawmakers have ignored overwhelming opposition from their constituents and SB1401 has already fully passed the Senate, passed a House Committee meeting on March 18, 2019 and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Ducey once it fully passes in the Arizona Legislature which could happen any day now.   

If SB1401 passes, DEMAND that Governor Ducey VETO this dangerous bill and NOT SIGN such reckless legislation into new Arizona law.  These elected 'government bullies' (to use their own words) need to stop the disingenuous attacks upon the industry, disregard Drybar corporation's 'hiring impediment' (that they cannot hire unlicensed workers) and discontinue to show such woeful disregard for the welfare of the public (especially the homeless population here), going forward.

1. Governor Ducey's attack upon the cosmetology industry 
2. Attack Ad with Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita by powerful so called 'social welfare organization' 
3. Attack Ad with Rep. Jay Lawrence by conservative so called 'special welfare organization' 

Anyone, anywhere in the world can sign this petition and share it online for others to sign. Together and in overwhelming opposition to deregulation, we will let unlicensed Arizona elected officials know that the people do not want these changes to our cosmetology and barbering industries. If they choose to ignore it, then they are officially choosing to ignore the wishes of the people who elected them to serve them.  We will vote them all out of office at the next opportunity.  

This petition directly targets Arizona politicians but licensed professionals across the nation are enduring similar state by state attacks upon their industries.  Thanks to the digital technology that exists today, licensed professionals are able to connect, share and work together to fight back. We are all in this together!

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION AND SHARE!
____________________________________________________________________

Members of the State Board are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the state governor who appoints and can remove members of the State Board.  Licensed professionals may not be officially organized but here are a few sources for online information about deregulation of the cosmetology and barbering industries:

• No HB2011 FB page was started by a Republican owner of multiple cosmetology schools who has been working on this from the beginning and organized the opposition. She is quoted in this early article about deregulation of cosmetology in Arizona.
• Respect The License FB page is run by a licensed cosmetology instructor and former Arizona State Board of Cosmetology investigator who saw deregulation coming after Ducey took office and started the industry hashtag #RespectTheLicense. In attempts to fight SB1401 and the nationwide attacks upon the industry as a whole, she released this recent video.
• Oppose Deregulation of Cosmetology FB page is run by a Democrat who has held a current Arizona nail technician's license since 1987 but has not been active in the cosmetology community since 1997 until last year when #HB2011 was introduced into the Arizona Legislature. She saw what happened to the nail industry when it was flooded with unlicensed workers who in many cases learned the trade on the job instead of an completing a full course of study from a cosmetology school, as is often discovered during inspections or investigation of public complaints by state regulatory boards across the country.
• Professional Beauty Association (PBA) provides information and updates about industry legislation and bills nationwide. Sign up for free text alerts and they will notify you of industry concerns in your state.
• Politics Beauty and Barber provides information and updates about industry legislation across the country. Also follow them on FB to learn more about deregulation and how it impacts you as a licensed professional.