FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Libertarian Party of New York Denounces “Shampoo Licensing” Under Consideration By New York State Legislature
Albany, New York, September 1, 2020 – The Libertarian Party of New York (LPNY) strongly denounces the occupational licensing of “shampoo assistants” currently under consideration by the New York State Assembly (A06578) and Senate (S08862). Proposed by Assemblypersons Woerner (D-AD113) and McDonald (D-AD108) and Senator Metzger (D-SD42), the licensure legislation will require 500 hours of training for individuals who wish to earn a living by shampooing hair at a beauty shop – a measure that will force the average “shampoo assistant” to spend over $13,000 at a state-accredited beauty school, put over $350 million into the hands of special interests, and further line the State’s coffers using revenue licenses that only serve as a de facto tax on those who can least afford it.
At the same time, two members of the Secretary of State’s Division of Licensing Services’ “Appearance Enhancement Advisory Committee” pushing for the proposal – Michelle D’Allaird Brenner and Anthony Civitano – own beauty schools and stand to benefit personally from the implementation of these proposals. A third member of the Board, Anthony Fiore, also owns a school and could potentially profit, as well. It should also be noted that five of the nine seats on the Board of Licensure – all of them held for tradesmen in the “appearance enhancement” industry – are currently vacant, leaving industry workers without a voice on the Committee.
LPNY Chair Anthony D’Orazio stated, “The Libertarian Party of New York holds firm to the principle that individuals have the inalienable right to earn an honest and peaceful living through the free and voluntary exchange of goods and services. To require a person to have a license and hundreds of hours of training to perform a task that they have been doing themselves since childhood is an affront to the intelligence and livelihood of the working-class New Yorkers this proposal affects. We call upon both chambers of the State Legislature to drop consideration of this proposal immediately.”
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