Texas Senate bill by Sen. Schwertner restricts medical practices for barbers and cosmetologists

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Charles Schwertner aims to regulate medical practices performed by barbers and cosmetologists, ensuring only those explicitly authorized by law in Texas may conduct such procedures, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the House, 60 Democrats and 47 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat and 38 Republicans voted against it.

Charles Schwertner introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Schwertner graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS.

Schwertner, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2013 to represent the state’s 5th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Steve Ogden.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to certain prohibited practices by a barber or cosmetologist’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends the Occupations Code to prohibit barbers and cosmetologists from performing certain medical practices, such as making incisions into the dermis or using specific devices, unless explicitly licensed or authorized by law in Texas to do so. If a disciplinary action arises, it is the responsibility of the license or permit holder to prove their authorization for performing such acts. This regulation does not impede other state agencies from enforcing relevant laws within their jurisdictions. The provisions outlined apply to conduct from Sept. 1, 2025, onwards, with prior conduct subject to existing laws at the time.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Carol Alvarado (Democrat – District 6).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Tuesday, May 20, but was vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday, June 2.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.