posted on: 12/05/2025
January marks the start of a new legislative season, and with it, proposed laws that could shape your career. The big question is whether your voice will be part of the conversation. Now is the time to be inspired to advocate when bills impacting cosmetology reach lawmakers’ desks.
Outside forces like state legislators and DC policymakers can potentially influence cosmetology and your business more than the latest trends and techniques. That can leave many professionals feeling overwhelmed by public policy and lead them to assume their voices have little influence. That’s not true.
Policymakers need to hear directly from experts (like you) about how proposed laws may affect your livelihood. Just one authentic story can change how a lawmaker understands your profession. That story could be yours, and telling it could protect and strengthen the future of your career. In this blog, you’ll find:
- Why advocacy matters and how it supports the profession
- Common issues worth speaking up about
- Practical steps to become an effective advocate
Why Advocate?
At its core, advocacy advances your profession, protects fair regulation, and ensures lawmakers understand the value you bring to clients, your profession, and the economy.
Advocacy can also lead to long-term, positive changes in how a profession is regulated by raising awareness and guiding policy. Advocacy helps educate lawmakers and ensures important cosmetology issues are addressed. Legislators don’t know what they don’t know—think the difference between sanitation and sterilization. Associations like AHP are at the front lines to inform them, but it’s most impactful when they learn from constituents directly affected by a proposed law.
Lawmakers aren’t subject matter experts . . . you are! Your expertise belongs at the forefront of policymaking, steering the future of your profession.
What Should I Advocate For?
Legislative session is a chance to give input on laws that advance, not set back, cosmetology. Common measures worth speaking about include:
- Interstate licensing compact: Compact bills allow professionals licensed in one state to practice in another without needing a separate license. If you’re seeking greater mobility or opportunity, speak up!
- Title protection: These laws ensure only licensed professionals can use certain titles, such as “licensed cosmetologist.” Without protections, unqualified individuals could misrepresent themselves, eroding trust and diminishing the value of your credentials.
- Establishment or mobile licensing: These laws regulate whether salons must be licensed in addition to your individual license. Changes here can affect overhead costs, compliance requirements, and whether you can operate solo. Mobile licensing expands business outside brick-and-mortar locations, offering more freedom.
- Apprenticeship: Some states allow apprenticeship as an alternative pathway to licensure—viewed by some as “earn as you learn” and others as a public safety concern. Whatever side you support, share your perspective.
- Scope of practice: Bills can expand or limit services you’re allowed to provide, directly affecting your bottom line. If your business is impacted, it’s an opportunity worth advocating for.
How Do I Start Advocating?
Becoming a successful advocate doesn’t require years of experience, just preparation and persistence. Here are some helpful tips:
- Network and join forces: Find community groups that align with your values. Social media platforms are excellent tools to connect with like-minded professionals who can share information, resources, research, and support.
- Research: Data is your best friend. If there’s a new bill proposed that you want to advocate for or against, check out our webpage to see what helpful information we’ve published about it. Legislators don’t want their state to fall behind, and hearing from subject matter experts like you can help them stay up to date.
- Know who to contact: If there is a bill impacting your profession that needs immediate attention, check your email for an update from us! We’ll let you know who’s behind it, background info, and what you can do to help. Contact your senators and state legislators through emails, phone calls, or by testifying at public hearings. We can provide you with templates of what to say, but your personal stories are especially impactful. Encourage your network to join in so your collective voice is heard.
- AHP action alerts: Professional associations like AHP will notify you when there is a significant issue in your state that you may want to engage in. Keep an eye on your inbox and our social media channels!
Turning Expertise into Influence
Advocating for your profession can make you feel empowered and in control of your career path. It lends a voice to your community and ensures your valuable perspective is considered in decision-making. When you speak up, your expertise is respected beyond the the chair—it’s respected in the policymaking halls and legislative chambers.
Resources for Advocates
Find your contacts: Go to your state legislature’s website to find your state representative and senator. These are the people whose policy decisions will make the biggest day-to-day difference in your career. Use congress.gov’s Find Your Members page to identify your federal lawmakers and get their contact info.
Legislative calendars: Use FiscalNote’s 2026 State Legislative Sessions Calendar to find out when your state legislature convenes in 2026.