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HB 2068

An Act amending the act of November 26, 1982 (P.L.744, No.203), referred to as the Prothonotary Fee Law, further providing for automation fee for prothonotary's office.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by John Schlegel

HB 2068 creates the Cosmetologist Licensure Compact, issuing a home-state multistate license that lets cosmetologists practice across member states under a shared Commission.

Referred to Judiciary
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 2068

Summary — HB 2068 (2025): Cosmetologist Licensure Compact (interstate multistate licensure)

Main purpose and intent

HB 2068 would enact the Cosmetologist Licensure Compact, a multi‑state agreement creating a multistate licensing pathway for cosmetologists. The Compact’s stated goals are to: expand interstate practice opportunities, improve public access to cosmetology services, protect public safety, reduce administrative burdens of licensure, support active‑duty military members and their spouses, and facilitate cooperation among state licensing authorities.

(Note: the bill package, as amended in committee, also included provisions enacting a Physician Assistant Licensure Compact; this summary focuses on the cosmetology compact.)

Key provisions and changes

  • Definitions and scope: establishes terms (e.g., “multistate license,” “home state,” “remote state,” “commission,” “cosmetology services”) and confirms that the Compact applies to cosmetology as defined by each member state’s statutes/regulations.
  • Member state eligibility: to join, a state must license/regulate cosmetology, require education and passing a competency exam, have procedures for background checks and for receiving/investigating complaints, participate in the Compact data system, share adverse actions and comply with Commission rules.
  • Multistate license:
    • Issued by a cosmetologist’s home state; applicant must hold an active, unencumbered single‑state license.
    • Authorizes practice in all other member (remote) states, subject to remote‑state laws and enforcement jurisdiction.
    • A licensee may hold only one multistate license at a time; procedures provided for changing home state upon relocation.
  • Adverse actions and enforcement:
    • Remote states may take adverse action against the multistate license as applied in that state; only the home state can take adverse action on the home‑state license.
    • Home state must report investigation conclusions to the shared data system; if the home state disciplines the home license, the multistate license is deactivated in all member states until encumbrances are resolved.
    • Joint investigations and subpoenas between member states are authorized; cost recovery permitted where state law allows.
  • Commission: creates the Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission (interstate agency) to adopt rules, operate a coordinated data system, oversee operations and an executive committee, and to enforce Commission rules.
    • Financing powers include levying annual assessments on member states, charging fees to licensees, and imposing fines to fund Commission operations.
    • Commission staff and members receive qualified immunity/indemnity protections consistent with Compact terms.
  • Limitations: the Commission is not authorized to define educational or professional licensing requirements; member states retain primary jurisdiction over licensing standards.
  • Military provision: active‑duty service members and spouses may designate and retain a home state license while on active duty.
  • Effective date: the Compact takes effect when enacted into law by the seventh member state (i.e., upon seventh‑state enactment).

Who is affected

  • Kansas cosmetologists (those holding or seeking multistate licenses)
  • Out‑of‑state cosmetologists seeking to practice in Kansas (if Kansas becomes a member state)
  • Kansas Board of Cosmetology / state licensing authority (administration, complaint handling, reporting)
  • Consumers receiving cosmetology services in member states
  • Member state licensing agencies and the Compact Commission
  • Military members and spouses who are cosmetologists

Fiscal and administrative impact

  • The Kansas Board of Cosmetology indicated potential impacts on agency revenues and expenditures:
    • Revenue could change depending on how many Kansas licensees apply for multistate licenses and whether out‑of‑state practitioners shift from dual state licenses to multistate licenses.
    • Expenditures could increase if the Commission levies annual assessments on member states or if Kansas participates in joint investigations.
  • The Division of the Budget (revised fiscal note, Feb 5, 2025) states the agency is unable to estimate the net fiscal effect; any fiscal impacts are not reflected in the FY 2026 Governor’s Budget Report.

Procedural status and timeline (selected)

  • Introduced: January 24, 2025.
  • Committee activity: recommended by House Committee on Health and Human Services; amended in Senate Committee (amendment added PA Compact).
  • Recent procedural note: “Motion to accede adopted; Senator Gossage, Senator Clifford and Senator Holscher appointed as conferees” (conference committee activity).
  • Effective trigger: Compact becomes operative when the seventh state enacts the Compact into law.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a side‑by‑side comparison of the Compact’s multistate license rules versus Kansas’s current cosmetology licensing statutes; or
- Extract the specific member‑state eligibility checklist and adverse‑action processes into a one‑page checklist for regulators.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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