Barber Licensing

Barber Licensing in Arkansas Could Use a Cut
We all hate when we get a bad haircut, but should the State of Arkansas be
mandating that barbers receive 1,500 hours of training, pass an exam, and pay a
fee?
In Arkansas, anyone who would like to cut hair must meet these requirements. In
March of 2019, State Sen. John Cooper introduced a bill in Arkansas to eliminate
the need for a license to barber. While the bill would have knocked down barriers
for low-income entrepreneurs, increased competition, and reduced the price of
haircuts, it never received enough support for passage after receiving strong
opposition from the Board of Barber Examiners and barbers that benefit from the
licensing scheme.
In a paper set to be published in Cato Journal, “For Public Health or Private Gain?
The Law and Economics of Barber Licensing in Arkansas” Dr. Marcus Witcher and
I explore the origins of the barber licensing law in Arkansas . Through our research
with the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE), we found that
barbers in Arkansas sought a licensing law for their own self-interest. Through
legislation, barbers gained control of the licensing board and gave themselves a
stark economic advantage by creating barriers to entry for new barbers, while
grandfathering in barbers who had already been practicing for six months.
By the time the barber bill was passed in Arkansas in 1937, the Journeyman
Barber International Union, the main advocates for licensing, had already
developed a strategy for achieving legislation. In the Journeyman Barber Journal,
president James Shannesy, urged his union to, “crystallize public sentiment in favor
of the Barber’s License Law” by telling the delegates to bring the matter before the
trades council and, “show them it is a health measure.” While we were unable to
find any evidence that barbershops in Arkansas were a threat to public health, the
legislative body passed the bill with public health in mind.
Licensing laws harm Arkansas’s economy, and licensing boards often deprive
minorities of their right to work. For instance, from 1938 to 1949, African-Americans
taking the barber exam in Arkansas experienced a roughly 63% pass rate while
white barbers passed at a rate of 77%. During the same decade that the bill passed
(1930-1940), the amount of African-American barbers in Arkansas decreased by
41% while white barbers decreased in number by 20%.
By examining the initial justification for the barber licensing law and its subsequent
effects on minorities, it becomes clear that the bill was created to protect
entrenched interests and had a negative impact on racial minorities. While the push
to eliminate barbering requirements failed previously in Arkansas, the upcoming
legislative session of 2021 provides Gov. Hutchinson and Arkansas legislators
another opportunity to pass more licensing reforms.
A new bill aims to make it easier to become a barber in Arkansas. But it would do
so by ending the requirement to earn a traditional license or even attend barber
school.
Senate Bill 410, sponsored by Republican Sen. John Cooper (R-Jonesboro) would
repeal the Arkansas barber law and abolish the State Board of Barber Examiners.
Tametra Bowie, director of GoodFellas Barber College in Little Rock, believes the
legislation undercuts the professional art of cutting hair.
"It definitely takes the professionalism and it definitely take the craft out of what we
do and it just puts us in layman's terms," Bowie said.
Nearly 60 people graduate through GoodFellas Barber College a year. Bowie noted
the bill also threatens the business of barber schools across the state.
"That makes the license that they receive pointless. Right now, Arkansas barber
schools make about $6 million a year so that's $6 million that we're putting back in
the economy that we're paying taxes on," Bowie said.
Jackman, who's been barbering for over three decades, cites health and economic
concerns if people lacked traditional credentials to cut hair.
"I don't want somebody cutting my hair with the little bit I got without any kind of
education or understanding of what's going on," Jackman said.
5NEWS spoke with local barbers who stated the bill would harm the industry not
because less experienced barbers would be cutting hair, but because it would
eliminate the safety and sanitation practices the Arkansas Barber Board sets for
the industry.
They went on to say that eliminating the State Board of Barber Examiners would
cut jobs across the state, and reduce the money Arkansas barber schools put back
into the state.
Several hundred barbers have signed a petition online that states the move
effectively “devalues every Barber License in the State” and allows anyone to
practice without state oversight. The group also pointed out that there are
numerous public health and safety aspects to barbering as well that a professional
without a license might not be aware of. Barbers from across the state will convene
at the capitol on Wednesday to voice their concerns on the issue.

Barber Licensing

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Barber Licensing

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Barber Licensing

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Barber Licensing in Arkansas Could Use a Cut

You might also like