NY Dems push for law mandating 500 hours of training for ‘shampoo assistants’
A new bill moving through the State Assembly and Senate will require “shampoo assistants” working in hair salons to complete a minimum of 500 hours of a 1,000-hour course in cosmetology. The completion of 500 hours will entitle applicants to a newly established “Shampoo Assistant Certificate.”
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The job primarily involves draping the client, lathering the head and rinsing, and odd jobs like sweeping hair off the floor.
“It’s crazy. Talk about being an obstruction to people getting after-school jobs or an entry-level job, or being able to make a living while learning a trade,” Cam MacDonald, of the Empire Center for Public Policy, told The Post.
Cosmetology school isn’t cheap, with programs in New York running around $13,000. “The evidence points to this being a barrier to entry that favors existing cosmetologists and the cosmetology schools,” MacDonald said.
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The bill is a hidden cash cow for the state. Under “fiscal implications,” its authors note it would “provide additional revenue to the state in the way of application fees and fines for practicing as a shampoo assistant without the proper certificate or practicing as a shampoo assistant after the certificate has been suspended or revoked.” It doesn’t specify how much the fines would be, but an earlier version of the bill from 2019 suggested 500 bucks for a first offense and a $1,000 for every one subsequently.
Know who isn’t affected by this bill? The illegals working out of their apartments with no licenses and paying no sales or income tax. The sponsors of the bill are all Democrats.
One salon owner remarked, “A ten year old could do this job”.
