Gov. Quinn Signs Hair Braiding Bill Into Law
by Brian Costin There is a bit of good news from Governor Quinn’s office making the papers today. Quinn recently signed into law a pro-enterprise bill in regards to reducing the licensing requirements on hair braiders. Back in March, the Institute’s Executive Vice President, Kristina Rasmussen,testified on the principles behind the HB 5783 bill sponsored by Rep. William Burns...
by Brian Costin
There is a bit of good news from Governor Quinn’s office making the papers today. Quinn recently signed into law a pro-enterprise bill in regards to reducing the licensing requirements on hair braiders.
Back in March, the Institute’s Executive Vice President, Kristina Rasmussen,testified on the principles behind the HB 5783 bill sponsored by Rep. William Burns (D-Chicago). She said, “The current law that requires hair braiders to get a cosmetology license is wrong-headed and unworkable. None of the 1500 hours of education required for the cosmetology license address any subject matter relating to hair braiding. Reducing the hours of education requirement to 300 will make it easier for braiders to enter the occupation legally and to have their businesses flourish above-ground.”
The bill signed by Gov. Quinn successfully reduced the hours of education requirement from 1500 to 300 for hair braiders. While this policy victory will greatly benefits hair braiders in Illinois the state as a whole still ranks near the bottom of many surveys on maintaining a business-friendly regulatory environment. In a 2009 report on states’ economic competitiveness, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ranked Illinois 48th in economic performance and 47th in economic outlook. ALEC also ranked Illinois 48th for its absolute migration because a net 637,979 people left the state from 1999-2008.
A recent paper by the Institute’s Director of Government Reform, Kate Piercy, “Regulatory Roadblocks: Clearing the Path for Illinois Entrepreneurs”, tells the story of how Illinois has a long way to go in making our state more friendly to economic opportunities for job creators. It also suggests regulatory reforms that will help turn around the State of Illinois in make it more hospitable environment for job-creating businesses.
The signing of the bill to reduce unnecessarily burdensome regulations by Gov. Quinn is a small, but necessary, step in making Illinois a better place to start and operate a business. Kudos to the Governor