BATON ROUGE, Louisiana—Yesterday, HB 509 passed the Louisiana House of Representatives by a margin of 86-6 and is now headed to the Senate. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Pat Moore seeks to lower the barrier of entry for hair braiders across the state. Louisiana is one of only thirteen states that still requires licensure for hair braiding.   

Natural hair braiding is a beauty practice popular among many African, African-American and immigrant communities in the United States. Braiding is a very safe practice as braiders do not use any dangerous chemicals, dyes or coloring agents, and do not cut hair. The Institute for Justice has been a national leader in partnering with grassroots activists and lawmakers across the country, to remove burdensome licensing restrictions that prevent people from legally entering the field. Braiders in most states are free to practice their craft. But in some states, like Louisiana, braiders still have to endure hundreds of hours of coursework and pay thousands of dollars before they can legally work. Through litigation and legislation, the Institute for Justice is dedicated to untangling these entrepreneurs from burdensome regulations.

Nationwide, state-mandated cosmetology school is expensive and time-consuming. On average, it costs more than $16,000 and takes about a year. Many students are lower-income, and most take on sizable student debt, borrowing over $7,300 on average. Cosmetology schools also do a poor job of graduating students on time—or even at all. On average, fewer than a third of students graduate on time. As a result, students are delayed or even blocked from working and may have to pay the schools even more money.

In Louisiana, IJ represented Ashley N’Dakpri who sued the state on the ground that under the Louisiana Constitution, the government under the due process clause, provides robust protection for economic liberty and the right to pursue one’s chosen profession without undue interference from the government.

While the courts eventually held against Ashley, IJ has continued to work tirelessly for the Louisiana hair braiding community.

“This is another important step towards giving everyone in Louisiana a chance at the American Dream,” added Meagan Forbes, IJ Director of Legislation and Senior Legislative Counsel. “We urge the state to continue to push and make sure these bills become law.”

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To arrange interviews on this subject, journalists may contact Phillip Suderman, IJ’s Communications Project Manager, at psuderman@staging.ij.org or (850) 376-4110. More information on the subject is available at: https://staging.ij.org/issues/economic-liberty/braiding/