Stitt Veto Puts Oklahoma Cosmetology and Barbering Board on the Clock

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has vetoed the bill that would extend the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, giving the state's barbers and cosmetologists until the end of May to persuade two-thirds of the Legislature to override him.

Practitioners from across the state gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday, May 20, to push for that override. The board regulates the industry and handles all licensing for it — the paperwork every salon, school and booth renter in Oklahoma depends on to stay in business.

"We were blindsided by that. So, when we saw it, we're like, 'Why?'" said Heather Sinclair, chair of the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering. Sinclair also runs a cosmetology school in Stillwater, so the board's fate touches both sides of her operation: her school's accreditation pipeline and her own industry oversight.

"It's not about cutting hair. It's not about the technique. It is about the health and safety of the public, our customers," Sinclair said.

Stitt's veto message framed the extension as premature. "Before granting another sunset extension, the Legislature should take a step back and ask: What does this Board really need to do, and who should be in charge of it? Until the Board becomes more transparent, responsive, and aligned with the needs of today's workforce, its continued existence should not be taken for granted," the governor wrote.

His office went further in a follow-up statement, attacking Attorney General Gentner Drummond directly. "The Attorney General is using fear tactics and half truths to obscure his position on this matter. He is standing with the bureaucracy and advocating for more government and more barriers to people working to achieve gainful employment," the statement said. "The Governor believes that a more streamlined and transparent approach to licensing will result in more jobs for hardworking Oklahomans. Consolidating licenses under one entity will result in less bureaucracy and better outcomes for Oklahomans."

Drummond has warned that if the veto stands, the board disappears — and with it, licensing in Oklahoma. "Right now, we're here to defend our license, to secure our license, to make sure that we are able to practice," said Laureal Whitney of Hair by Laureal.

Lawmakers dispute that reading. State Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, an Altus Republican who wrote the bill, told practitioners their credentials are safe. "I can assure them that, hey, your license is not going to be invalid as of June 30," Kendrix said.

Under Kendrix's account, if no override happens, licensing transfers to the state's Office of Management and Enterprise Services. OMES pointed to a state statute covering terminated entities: "Any other outstanding obligations or functions remaining to be performed after termination of an entity shall be performed by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services until provisions are made for such obligations or functions by the Legislature."

Drummond's office rejected that reading as applied to licensing. "Respectfully, we disagree with their interpretation as overly broad," it said in a statement, adding that it understood OMES would not be doing licensing itself.

For working stylists and barbers, the practical stakes are credibility and consumer trust. "We don't want anyone to just walk in off the street and not feel secure about where they are getting their hair done. We want to make sure that we are capable of educating and let people know that we are professional and we went to school for this," Whitney said.

The Legislature must act before it adjourns at the end of the month. An override requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers — the next data point to watch.