The following testimony was submitted for consideration by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii on Feb. 7, 2025, by the Senate Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection.
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Feb. 7, 2025, 9:50 a.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 229 and Videoconference
To: Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection
Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, Chair
Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Vice-Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: COMMENTS IN SUPPORT OF SB1619 — RELATING TO THE COSMETOLOGY LICENSURE COMPACT
Aloha Chair Keohokalole, Vice-Chair Fukunaga and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its support for SB1619, which would streamline the licensing process for out-of-state cosmetologists by allowing Hawaii to join the Cosmetology Licensure Compact.
This bill would make it easier for cosmetologists licensed in other states to practice in Hawaii while reducing the workload of the state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.
A multi-state license obtained through the CLC works much like a driver’s license, allowing its holder to practice in any compact state without having to go through separate licensure procedures.
This would be especially beneficial to military spouses, who may find it difficult to continually seek new licenses when moving in or out of Hawaii.
Similarly, license portability offers great potential for Hawaii residents, whether through compacts like the CLC or more general state license-recognition programs. Separate state requirements for occupational licenses — such as those required for cosmetology — do not make sense in terms of public health or safety needs.
As the Federal Trade Commission noted in a report on occupational licensing portability:
There is little justification for the burdensome, costly, and redundant licensing processes that many states impose on qualified, licensed, out-of-state applicants. Such requirements likely inhibit multistate practice and delay or even prevent licensees from working in their occupations upon relocation to a new state. Indeed, for occupations that have not implemented any form of license portability, the harm to competition from suppressed mobility may far outweigh any plausible consumer protection benefit from the failure to provide for license portability.[1]
SB1619 offers the opportunity to remove unnecessary burdens on beauty workers in our state while expanding occupational freedom. We hope this will be the beginning of a new approach to licensing in Hawaii.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Karen Goldman, “Options to Enhance Occupational License Portability,” U.S. Federal Trade Commission, September 2018, p. 25.
