New York lawmakers seek to license “shampoo assistants”

It would appear that lawmakers around the country haven’t gotten the word that more regulation doesn’t help the economy. Take for instance this legislation (sent to me via this link today) moving through the New York Assembly.

While it doesn’t appear that the legislation is moving quickly, one has to wonder what motivates the introduction of a bill that would require a person shampooing hair and sweeping the floor to take 500 hours of training at a cosmetology school and obtain a license. From the article:

The job primarily involves draping the client, lathering the head and rinsing, and odd jobs like sweeping hair off the floor.

“It’s crazy. Talk about being an obstruction to people getting after-school jobs or an entry-level job, or being able to make a living while learning a trade,” Cam MacDonald, of the Empire Center for Public Policy, told The Post.

Cosmetology school isn’t cheap, with programs in New York running around $13,000. “The evidence points to this being a barrier to entry that favors existing cosmetologists and the cosmetology schools,” MacDonald said.

Kudos to our friends at the Empire Center for Public Policy for being on top of this issue.

Getting a “permission slip” from the government to work should only be required when there is a clear public health or safety issue involved. Before policymakers create new licensing schemes, they should demand to be shown who has been harmed without the licensing in place.