New Texas law cuts hours needed to earn cosmetology license

On Friday, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2847 into law. It cuts the required number of hours to earn a Texas Cosmetology License from 1,500 hours to 1,000 hours.

"One of the things that were discouraging for me as a student was the amount of time I was going to have to put into school," said Jessica De La Cruz.

De La Cruz now owns Modern Barber & Beauty Institute, 4.0 Cuts Barber Salon, and Level Up Cuts Barber Salon. She believes the new law will make it easier for future cosmetologists to achieve their goals.

"I'm actually excited for the students because that means less of a sacrifice in order to graduate sooner and get out there in the work field. It also gives them more time to get their crossover license and become a licensed barber or instructor," De La Cruz said.

While De La Cruz is in favor of the law, Crystal Rodriguez Burgess, along with her parents who own Manuel and Theresa's School of Hair Design in Bryan, oppose the law.

"I feel like education needs to be stressed in this field. It's such a broad study and from safety to sanitation to just these students having confidence in what they're trained to do, it's just so important," said Rodriguez Burgess.

"Just like any other field, whenever you go to school, you learn the basics and when you get out in the professional world, that's when you start learning the real deal. You get more hands-on experience. I feel like the schools will have enough time to teach the basics within that 1,000-hour time range," De La Cruz explained.

The law goes into effect on September 1.