05/08/2002 10:46 AM Senate FIN

                                                                                                                                
     CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 443(L&C)                                                                                             
     "An Act retroactively  extending the application  and licensing                                                            
     deadlines   and  amending   the  effective   date  of   certain                                                            
     provisions  relating  to  regulation  of persons  who  practice                                                            
     tattooing  and permanent  cosmetic coloring  or body  piercing;                                                            
     and providing for an effective date."                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This  was the first  hearing  for this  bill in  the Senate  Finance                                                            
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  VIC  KOHRING,  Sponsor,  reminded the  Committee  of                                                            
other  legislation  previously  passed into  law that  licensed  the                                                            
practice  of tattooing  to address  health and  safety concerns.  He                                                            
commented that  he "was not real thrilled  about that legislation."                                                             
He stated that  in adopting regulations to enforce  the new statute,                                                            
some business  "fell through the cracks,"  and were not notified  of                                                            
an application deadline  to receive a license. He qualified no party                                                            
was at fault  for this; neither the  businesses nor the Division  of                                                            
Occupational  Licensing, because it  had no way to identify  all the                                                            
businesses  performing tattooing  and body  piercing. However,  as a                                                            
result, he informed  that approximately 13 businesses  are operating                                                            
without  the required  license  and  are subject  to  closure if  an                                                            
extension of the  application deadline is not encoded  into statute.                                                            
                                                                                                                                
It was established no public  testimony would be heard on this bill,                                                            
as no interested parties were present to do so.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Donley "moved CS  for House Bill  443, Labor and  Commerce                                                            
from Committee with its  whopping $3,000 fiscal note with individual                                                            
recommendations."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
There  being  no  objection,  CS HB  443  (L&C)  was  REPORTED  from                                                            
Committee  with  $3,300  fiscal  note  #2  from  the  Department  of                                                            
Environmental Conservation.