Mandatory Domestic Violence Training for Salon Pros—Is Your State on the List?
Last year, Illinois became the first state to pass a law requiring all salon professionals to complete a one-hour training course to learn how to spot signs of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Since then, a total of 14 states have introduced or passed similar pieces of legislation.
“What we’re seeing is different variations of the law Illinois introduced,” says Bridget Sharpe, Professional Beauty Association Government Affairs Manager. “It’s seen as slam dunk legislation because everyone wants to see domestic violence eradicated, and this is a step in the right direction to help those numbers go down.”
The different iterations of the laws vary by state, but mostly revolve around when and where salon pros receive the training, including:
- during school
- before receiving their license
- during continuing education
- a combination of these
Since the initial bill was passed, the Professional Beauty Association has expressed support for similar legislation.
“We just want to stress that PBA only gets behind a bill like this if we’re sure that our licensed professionals will not be held liable,” adds Bridget. “So in order for us to support the bill, it has to include language that stylists will not be forced into being mandatory reporters. We want to encourage our stylists to have this education, but we don’t want to put them in uncomfortable positions.”
Below is a list of the 14 states where legislation has been introduced. To view the full list and updates to your state’s legislation, you can visit http://probeauty.org/stateleg/.
Arkansas (HB 1720) – enacted
California (AB 326) – passed Senate
Colorado (HB 17-1175) – failed
Florida (SB 128) – in Senate
Florida (SB 1152) – failed
Georgia (HB 291) – in House
Georgia (HB 522) – in House
Hawaii (HB 680) – in Senate
Hawaii (SB 518) – in House
Massachusetts (H 1973) – in House
Massachusetts (H 3465) – in House
Maryland (HB 501) – failed
Maryland (SB 1030) – failed
New Jersey (A 4530) – in Assembly
New York (A 6576) – in Assembly
New York (S 5816) – in Senate
Oklahoma (SB 812) – in Senate
Tennessee (HB 1338) – in Senate
Tennessee (SB 1303) – in Senate
Texas (HB 1104) – failed
Texas (SB 918) – failed
Washington (HB 1163) – enacted
For additional questions, you can contact Bridget at bridget@probeauty.org.
