Brave Lawmakers Battle the Scourge of Unlicensed Shampooing

Riffing off President Barack Obama's recent comment that it's time to promote economic growth by eliminating laws that "are just plain dumb," The Wall Street Journal's Stephanie Simon proposes the elimination of some remarkably stupid occupational licensing regulations. As Simon writes:

Texas, for instance, requires hair-salon "shampoo specialists" to take 150 hours of classes, 100 of them on the "theory and practice" of shampooing, before they can sit for a licensing exam. That consists of a written test and a 45-minute demonstration of skills such as draping the client with a clean cape and evenly distributing conditioner. Glass installers, or glaziers, in Connecticut—the only state that requires such workers to be licensed—take two exams, at $52 apiece, pay $300 in initial fees and $150 annually thereafter.

California requires barbers to study full-time for nearly a year, a curriculum that costs $12,000 at Arthur Borner's Barber College in Los Angeles. Mr. Borner says his graduates earn more than enough to recoup their tuition, though he questions the need for such a lengthy program. "Barbering is not rocket science," he said. "I don't think it takes 1,500 hours to learn. But that's what the state says."

Read the whole story here. Read Reason's coverage of occupational licensing abuse here.