Exempts natural hair braiders from Hawaii licensing

State Bills: Hawaii

Published March 6th, 2026

Detected April 2nd, 2026

Summary

The Hawaii State Senate passed SB2876, which exempts natural hair braiders from licensing requirements under the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. The bill received final passage on March 6, 2026, with 24 ayes and zero noes, and subsequently passed the House Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee with amendments on March 31, 2026. This legislation removes a regulatory barrier for natural hair braiding practitioners in Hawaii.

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What changed

Hawaii Senate Bill 2876 exempts natural hair braiders from licensing requirements administered by the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, provided certain conditions are met. The bill passed the Senate unanimously (24-0) on March 6, 2026, and received House committee approval with amendments on March 31, 2026. Key sponsors include Senators Donna Kim, Lynn Decoite, and Troy Hashimoto.

Natural hair braiders and beauty service businesses should review the exemption conditions to determine if they qualify for the licensing exception. Compliance teams should update any internal licensing requirements for hair braiding services to reflect this change. The bill represents a deregulation trend for personal care service providers in Hawaii.

Source document (simplified)

ChangeBridge / Hawaii / SB2876 Passed SB2876 Senate Bill Passed 2026-03-06

Relating To Natural Hair Braiding.

Exempts natural hair braiders from licensing requirements under certain conditions.

Bill Details

State Hawaii

Session 2026 Regular Session

Chamber Senate

Official Source www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_ind...

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Action History

2026-03-31 H The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Grandinetti, Chun, Ilagan, Iwamoto, Kong, Marten, Tam, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Ichiyama, Lowen. 2026-03-27 H Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Tuesday, 03-31-26 2:05PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. 2026-03-10 H Referred to CPC, referral sheet 16 2026-03-10 H Pass First Reading 2026-03-06 H Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 83). 2026-03-06 S Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Ihara). Transmitted to House. 2026-03-05 S One Day Notice 03-06-26. 2026-03-05 S Report adopted; Passed Second Reading. 2026-03-05 S Reported from CPN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2799) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading and placement on the calendar for Third Reading. 2026-02-25 S The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in CPN were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Keohokalole, Fukunaga, Lamosao, McKelvey, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. 2026-02-20 S The committee(s) on CPN has scheduled a public hearing on 02-25-26 9:32AM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference. 2026-01-30 S Referred to CPN. 2026-01-26 S Passed First Reading. 2026-01-23 S Introduced.