TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce’s barber pilot program signed into law in 2019 would be expanded to professionals from states or countries that do not issue licenses under a bill released by the Assembly Regulated Professions Committee.
Under current law, the three-year pilot program applies only to barbers and hairstylists who possess a license from another state or country.
“Preventing a new resident of New Jersey from working and making a living could put their welfare in jeopardy. Many of these highly-skilled professionals have been cutting hair for years, but can’t produce a non-existent license from another country,” said DeCroce, who is a prime sponsor of the bill (A1256) that passed in committee today. “Expanding this successful pilot program to include more barbers is the right thing to do, especially given the economic crisis we are currently experiencing.”
As long as new residents apply for a license from the New Jersey Board of Cosmetology and meet state standards for cutting hair, they can receive a 120-day temporary license. If the applicant continues to meet the requirements of the pilot program and the application for issuance of a license remains pending, the temporary license could be extended.