NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A proposed bill in the Tennessee legislature would allow unlicensed workers in certain fields to do business, as long as the customer knows and acknowledges that fact.
Knoxville Rep. Martin Daniel introduced HB 1945 in the house while Sen. Janice Bowling of Tullahoma sponsored it in the senate.
The bill includes a long list of professions that normally require a license, registration or certification including cosmetologists, accountants, home inspectors, plumbers, real estate brokers, and tattoo artists. (See full list below).
If passed, lacking the proper licensing would not prevent people from performing the duties of that profession. To do so, the client must sign paperwork acknowledging they know about the lack of license and agree to release the person performing the work from all liability that may arise from the person’s performance of the work, except for an action brought for intentional, willful, or malicious conduct.”
Cosmetologists are already rallying opposition to the bill on social media, like the post below from the Tennessee School of Beauty:
List of professions included in the bill:
(1) Accountants;
(2) Architects, engineers, landscape architects, and interior designers;
(3) Barbers;
(4) Cosmetologists;
(5) Funeral directors and embalmers;
(6) Contractors;
(7) Home inspectors;
(8) Plumbers;
(9) Home improvement contractors;
(10) Locksmiths;
(11) Real estate brokers;
(12) Land surveyors;
(13) Soil scientists;
(14) Auctioneers;
(15) Individuals engaged in the application of pesticides;
(16) Rental location agents;
(17) Private investigators;
(18) Polygraph examiners;
(19) Individuals engaged with fire protection sprinkler systems;
(20) Servicers of fire extinguishers and related equipment;
(21) Alarm contractors;
(22) Private protective services;
(23) Geologists;
(24) Tattoo artists;
(25) Body piercing artist;
(26) Real estate appraisers; and
(27) Professional employer organizations.