WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor                          Ch. 14

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article - Business Occupations and Professions

5-304.

(a)     (1) To qualify for a license to practice as a cosmetologist, an applicant shall
be an individual who meets the requirements of this section.

(2)     The applicant shall be at least 17 years old.

(3)     The applicant shall have completed successfully a 9th grade education or
the equivalent.

(4)     (i) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, an applicant shall
have received training by:

1.       serving as a registered apprentice as provided under §§ 5-404
and 5-405(d) of this title; or

2.       successfully completing [the] A required program OF AT
LEAST 1,500 HOURS OF TRAINING in a cosmetology school that is approved by the State
Board of Education or the Maryland Higher Education Commission in consultation with
the Board.

(ii) If an applicant is a [journey] barber or master barber currently
licensed in this State, the Board shall:

1.       credit the applicant with having met one-half of the training
requirements of subparagraph (i) of this paragraph; and

2.       determine the manner in which the credit will be applied.
(iii) An applicant meets the requirements of this subsection if:

1.       the applicant has held a cosmetologist license in another
state or foreign country and has actively practiced cosmetology in the other state or
foreign country for a period of 6 months; or

2.       the applicant has been trained in a cosmetology school in
another state or foreign country that has standards substantially equivalent to or more
stringent than the standards of a school that is approved by the State Board of Education
or the Maryland Higher Education Commission in consultation with the Board.

(5)     Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, the applicant shall pass an
examination given by the Board under this subtitle.

(b)     To qualify for a license as a senior cosmetologist, an applicant shall:

(1)     have 2 years of experience as a licensed cosmetologist; and

(2)     pass an examination approved by the Board.

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