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Minutes for HB2068 - Committee on Health and Human Services
Short Title
Enacting the cosmetology compact to provide interstate practice privileges.
Minutes Content for Wed, Feb 5, 2025
Carly Choi, Revisor of Statutes, provided and overview of HB2068 (Attachment 1).
Michelle Richart, Midwest Region Liaison, Defense State Liaison Office, U.S. Dept. of Defense, provided an overview of the Department of Defense's efforts to work with state leaders to harmonize state and federal law and regulations (Attachment 2). The Department has advocated for improved licensure and career portability for military service members and their spouses for several years. Military spouses are disproportionately affected by state-specific professional licensing requirements that can causes delay and gaps in employment. Military spouses experience unemployment at significantly higher rates than their civilian peers. Moving state to state, obtaining licenses in order to obtain employment is important. Compacts will serve to relieve one of the many stressors of a military move and support military families' financial and personal well-being.
Lt. Col. Keith Marshall, Adjutant General's Department, U.S. Air Force, provided testimony in support of HB2068 (Attachment 3). This bill is a priority of the Department of Defense. Military spouses face significant employment challenges with an unemployment rate consistently around 21%. These compacts play a vital role in supporting military families by easing the transition for spouses and professionals who require state-specific licenses to work. these agreements streamline the process of transferring professional licenses across state lines. The compacts provide greater job stability and allow maintaining employment without lengthy re-certifications and additional coursework.
Lt. Col. Marshall responded to questions from the committee.
William Wilk, on behalf of the Kansas Chamber, provided testimony in support of HB2068 (Attachment 4). These interstate compacts streamline the transfer of occupational licenses across state lines. The compacts do not add additional licensing requirements, change the Kansas licensing requirements, nor change the continuous education requirements. The compact will not only help military spouses, but allow cosmetologists from other states, which have passed the compacts, the option to have their licenses recognized in Kansas.
Mr. Wilk responded to questions from the committee.
Conor Norris, Director of Labor Policy, Knee Regulatory Research Center, West Virginia University, provided testimony in support of HB2068 (Attachment 5). Occupational licensing is the most restrictive form of professional regulation. Licensing laws, which are controlled by the states, pose challenges for workers moving across state lines. Compacts seem like a perfect solution as they allow cosmetologists from member states to practice in Kansas without undergoing redundant education and training. Requiring new residents to complete arbitrary hurdles before they can work is costly. Reducing the burden would be a step forward.
The following provided proponent written only testimony:
Leslie Roste, Vice President Government Affairs, Future of the Beauty Industry Coalition (Attachment 6)
Katrina Abraham, Government Affairs, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce (Attachment 7)
The hearing was closed.
