Until a few weeks ago, if you were a Nebraskan looking to make money braiding hair, you had to undergo thousands of hours of training to obtain a cosmetology license. But, now things have changed. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, signed a law to lift the occupational cosmetology license on hair braiders. Cosmetology licensing in Nebraska is nearly a 2-year program that can cost up to $22,000. This decision comes as a win to hair braiders in several states where a specialty braiding license is required. In Iowa alone, braiding hair without a license in cosmetology is considered a crime, punishable by up to one year in prison and civil fines up to $10,000.
Dad Styles Daughter’s Hair, Creates Instant #BlackGirlMagic
Sen. Nicole Fox worked with Brandy McMorris, an Omaha natural hair braider to create legislation that would exempt Nebraska hair braiders from their strict licensing requirements. Senator Fox, with the 3rd poorest district in the state and a high number of single females had this to say about the braiding law to The Daily Signal: “For somebody who is a young single female, potentially a young single mom, who doesn’t have a lot [of] resources and is already struggling to make ends meet, cosmetology in the state of Nebraska is expensive.”
Nebraska’s new legislation is set to deregulate more work in the state where there is no serious risk to public safety and they hope this new lift will remove the difficulties for braiders to climb the economic ladder.