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ISSUE: ‘Shampooer Protection Act’

OUR VIEW: Less-government governor would clean up regulations

Gov. Mark Sanford stays on message about government: it cost people too much and is too controlling of people’s lives. On Wednesday, the governor had some fun in the process of making his point.

“South Carolina took one giant step toward cleaner, shinier, healthier hair today with Gov. Mark Sanford’s signature of H.3803, a new law removing the legal requirement for shampooers to receive the same state-mandated 1,500 hours of training that cosmetologists receive,” Sanford’s office announced.

The governor could not resist going further:

“While we’re having some fun with this bill today, it does raise a serious issue about overregulation in South Carolina, which in a lot of cases is more about protecting the profits of people in a particular industry rather than protecting the consumer,” Sanford said. “Other times, laws are outdated or just plain silly. But the bottom line is that we need to take a serious look at places where we can peel back unnecessary government interference, and we need to do it in a way that takes as little time away from more pressing issues as possible.”

To the point, Sanford said the bill that got his signature, “unfortunatley,” does nothing to address the fact that state law requires 1,500 hours of training to be a cosmetologist - almost four times the amount of state-required training to become a police officer. State law requires 396 hours of training to become an officer and only eight to carry a concealed weapon.

The requirement does seem excessive.

But check out the “Top 10 Crazy Laws or Proposals” compiled by Sanford’s people, with the cosmetology training requirement being No. 1:

2. Caskets and stones: A retail funeral store in Greenwood submitted a license application, paid the fee, was scheduled to go before the Board of Funeral Directors and was told it could open. But then the board gave it a “cease and desist” order, essentially telling the firm to stop selling caskets. The board fined the business $1,500 for “opening before their Board appointment.” The business had to pay it before getting a license.

3. Fortune tellers are required to obtain a special permit in order to operate in South Carolina.

4. A proposed bill would require high school football and basketball playoff games to have replay for officials to use during games.

5. Barbering schools are required by law to have at least 10 instructional chairs -- and those chairs are required by law to be upholstered and finished exactly the same way.

6. In 2003, a bill was introduced that would have required all drinking straws in South Carolina be sold in individual wrappers. The bill almost led to a fist fight on the House floor.

7. The fourth Friday in October of each year is designated by law in public schools as Frances Willard Day, and each public school is required “to prepare and render a suitable program on the day to the end that the children of the state may be taught the evils of intemperance.”

8. Circuses cannot exceed 48 hours at one place in any one year.

9. If a menu or advertisement states “frozen dessert,” it must correctly state the specific frozen dessert that is offered for sale so as not to mislead the consumer.

10. Musical instruments are not allowed to be sold on Sunday.

“Whatever happened to common sense?” the governor asks.

Well, add to the list the broader issue of the state’s contradictory and discriminatory blue laws on Sunday sales and the governor has got a mini-agenda for change. Indeed, what happened to common sense?

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