STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MELINDA KANE
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman CARMEN THERESA MORALES
District 34 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Modifies membership of New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the membership of the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling and amending P.L.1984, c.205.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 4 of P.L.1984, c.205 (C.45:5B-4) is amended to read as follows:
4. There is created within the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling. The board shall consist of 13 members who are residents of the State, [three] two of whom shall be public members[, two] appointed pursuant to subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.1971, c.60 (C.45:1-2.2) [and one additional public member,] and one of whom shall be a State executive department member appointed pursuant to subsection c. of section 2 of P.L.1971, c.60 (C.45:1-2.2). [Of the remaining nine members, six] Six of the remaining members shall hold practicing licenses issued by the board and shall have been engaged in the practice of [beauty culture, barbering or cosmetology and hairstyling] the profession in which the member was licensed for at least five years prior to their appointments, but shall not have been engaged in the conduct of or teaching at a licensed school of beauty culture or cosmetology and hairstyling, and two shall own or operate a hair braiding shop in this State. [The remaining one member appointed by the board created by this act shall hold a teacher's license issued by the board and shall have been engaged in the teaching of beauty culture or cosmetology and hairstyling or shall have been involved in the conduct of a licensed school of beauty culture or school of cosmetology and hairstyling in this State for at least five years prior to the appointment] Of the remaining two members, one shall represent public school vocational programs in cosmetology and hairstyling approved by the State Board of Education and one shall represent licensed private schools of cosmetology and hairstyling.
(cf: P.L.2018, c.126, s.2)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill revises the membership of the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling.
Currently, the board requires three members of the public and one licensed teacher who engages in teaching at a licensed school of beauty culture or cosmetology and hairstyling in New Jersey to be appointed. The bill adjusts this to two members of the public, one individual representing public school vocational programs, and one individual representing private licensed schools of cosmetology and hairstyling.
Moreover, the bill modifies the type of professional that is to be appointed to the board. Instead of allotting six slots for cosmetologist-hairstylists, beauticians, and barbers, those same slots are to be filled by individuals licensed in any of the professions for which the board issues a license. Under the bill, the board would still be required to appoint a State executive department member and two owners or operators of a hair braiding shop in the State.