| Sanford vetoes bill on braiding Surveyed stylists give split views on training plan AIKEN - Local hairdressers had mixed reactions to South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of a hair-braiding bill Monday. The bill would have required hair braiders in the Palmetto State to undergo 60 hours of cosmetology training. The decision to have training should be left up to people who do braiding, said Linda Harrelson, a hairstylist for Willie's Beauty Shop in Aiken. However, Pamela Willard, who has been styling hair for 32 years and has owned Alpha & Omega Hair Designs in Aiken for eight years, said 60 hours of training is not too much to ask of people who are braiding hair as a trade. "Sixty hours is no time at all. There are 24 hours in one day," Ms. Willard said. "I think it's fair. We (hairstylists) have to have 1,500 hours of training that takes six months to a year." She said many people who braid hair do so in their homes and may not be properly trained about sanitizing combs and other equipment. "Keeping everything clean is very important," Ms. Willard said. Mr. Sanford pointedly disagreed with the training requirement. "It's utterly ridiculous for us as a state to say that you only need eight hours of training to carry a concealed handgun, but for some reason you need 60 hours of training to braid hair," Mr. Sanford said in a news conference Monday afternoon. He said South Carolina relies on small businesses and "should be tearing down barriers to economic growth, not building them up." Mr. Sanford has handed the bill back to the General Assembly, demanding the removal of the hair-braiding training requirements, which were tacked onto a pharmacy bill. Mr. Sanford said he favors the pharmacy bill because it would make it a lot easier for consumers to transfer prescriptions. The House of Representatives and the Senate must each have a two-thirds majority to overturn the veto. Associated Press reports were used in this article.
Reach Karen Ethridge at (803) 648-1395, ext. 109, or karen.ethridge@augustachronicle.com.
What's next: After vetoing the bill requiring hair braiders to have 60 hours of cosmetology training, Gov. Mark Sanford asked that the requirement be removed from any future legislation. The bill will go back to the General Assembly, where both houses must have a two-thirds majority to override the veto.
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