Session: State Capitol, Room 24 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-2186 Fax: (907) 465-3818 Interim: 600 East Railroad Avenue Wasilla, AK 99654 Phone: (907) 373-1842 Fax: (907) 373-4729

House Gives Approval to Tattoo Licensing Bill
Kohring's HB 443 Extends Piercing and Body Art Registration Deadline

(JUNEAU) - The House today gave its unanimous support to a measure sponsored by Rep. Vic Kohring (R-Wasilla/Peters Creek) that would extend the application deadline for owners of tattoo artistry businesses and help them comply with new government regulations.

House Bill 443, which passed by a 35-0 vote on the House floor, is intended to address inequities in a two-year-old law that established licensing requirements and regulations for tattoo and body piercing imposing additional paperwork and testing burdens on practitioners, Kohring said.

"That 2000 bill, which I didn't support, did not allow for any grace period or appeal process for those who might miss the licensing application deadline of July 1, 2001," Kohring said. Because of a technical glitch in the Division of Occupational Licensing's system, many practitioners did miss the deadline, he noted.

"The result of this law is that numerous legitimate and legal small business operations will be forced to close," Kohring said. "This is simply not fair, especially given that many of these people have successfully been in business for years."

Under current law, the sole remedy for those who missed the deadline is to "apprentice" under another licensed practitioner before being able to apply for a license. In effect, they have to work for a competitor, even though it is unlikely that any competitor would hire those who would almost certainly reopen their own shops as soon as they completed their required "training" time.

HB 443 would extend the transitional license application deadline and the license requirement dates to allow those who missed the original deadline, many who never received the information about the new regulations, to file for their license, Kohring said.

"The Legislature is not in the business of putting people out of work but the existing law has the unintended consequence of doing just that," Kohring said. "By passing House Bill 443, the House is righting an injustice, and making it possible for these businesses to keep operating and keep providing a needed service to their customers."

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