Cosmetology Compact Is Active . . . Now What?

Put down your shears, combs, and color bowls, it’s time to celebrate a major milestone in our trek toward a cosmetology multistate license. Cosmetologists in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia will soon be eligible for a multistate license, which will make it easier for professionals to work across these compact-participating states. Let’s review our multistate licensure journey.

Point A: The Cosmetology Licensure Compact (Compact) draft language was created in 2022.

Point B: The Compact became active on June 6, 2024. Seven member states were needed to enact the Compact language to reach this checkpoint. The seven states mentioned above are official Compact-participating states. More states can still join, with active ongoing legislation in California, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Point C: A Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission (Commission) is being formed. The Commission is a government agency, and its membership is comprised of one delegate from each member state. Once the Commission is formed, it must establish a code of ethics, bylaws, rules, and a budget to carry out the Compact’s mission: to simplify interstate cosmetology practice and regulation by reducing burdens related to license reciprocity and increasing license portability.

We’ll keep you updated once we know more. Although we’re not yet at our end destination and there are a few more checkpoints to reach, we’re on our way to seeing the Commission issue multistate licenses. For more information, check out the official Compact website.

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