Hairstylists plan Capitol protest after Stitt veto eliminates state cosmetology board

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Hairstylists, barbers, nail technicians and massage therapists across Oklahoma say they’re worried for the future of their industry after Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill that, as a result, will eliminate the state board that regulates cosmetology.

Many plan to protest at the Capitol on Tuesday, calling on the Legislature to override the veto.

They say the move will allow anyone in Oklahoma to cut hair, do nails or even offer massage therapy without any training, license, oversight or accountability.

Edmond-based hairstylist Austin Hodges told News her favorite part of her 25 year career has been the people.

“We’re kind of therapists also in a way,” she said. “When I have a client, my chair is—it is a family member.”

She said it took months of cosmetology school to get here, where she learned much more than just how to cut and style hair.

“It has nothing to do with bad haircuts,” Hodges said. “It has to do with the safety and sanitation of your practice. If you walk in and I notice that you have open lesions and then I’m putting a chemical on that open lesion, it could be detrimental to your health. I also am trained to look for melanomas and lymphomas.”

Only after completing that education and passing a test, she says, can someone get a cosmetology license in Oklahoma.

The same goes for licensed barbers, nail technicians, eyelash technicians and massage therapists; they all legally must be licensed through the State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering.

“They are the ones that really oversee and make the laws and the rules and the changes,” she said.

She said the board also investigates complaints and has stepped in during serious cases.

“I know that one massage therapist that was accused of rape is now facing 14 years and he has been convicted,” she said. “And that was all due to the board’s diligent acts.”

But that board, she said, is about to go away.

“There will be no more board. It will be dissolved,” Hodges said.

She said it’s because Governor Stitt recently vetoed a bill that would have kept the board from being sunset on July 1.

In his veto message, Stitt questioned whether the board is necessary, writing:

“What does this board really need to do, and who should be in charge of it? Until the board becomes more transparent, responsive, and aligned with the needs of today’s workforce, its continued existence should not be taken for granted.”

A spokesperson for the governor told News 4 he doesn’t want to eliminate cosmetology licensing altogether, but thinks a different state agency could take over those duties.

As of now, no agency has stepped forward.

Meaning come July 1–

“Anyone can practice in my field with no training at all,” Hodges said. “There is no law saying that they can’t because once it’s dissolved, everything is null and void.”

She said that raises obvious concerns for client safety.

“I would like to be able to go and get a massage or go to get my nails done and feel safe in our state,” she said.

But it also raises business concerns.

“Most salon owners have to turn in their license—an establishment license and also their own practicing license—to be able to get a small business loan from the SBA,” she said. “So we’re actually putting a lot of small businesses out of business.”

Stitt also vetoed a similar bill that would have extended the state’s Funeral Board, which licenses funeral homes and crematoriums.

In his veto message, Stitt wrote the funeral board “shielded the funeral industry from meaningful competition in the sale of caskets, urns, and other funeral related merchandise and services,” and should also be moved under another agency.