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Libertarian Group Sues Tennessee Over License To Wash Hair

The Beacon Center is suing the state on behalf of Memphis resident Tammy Pritchard.
The Beacon Center
The Beacon Center is suing the state on behalf of Memphis resident Tammy Pritchard.

Hear the radio version of this story.

A libertarian think tank is challenging a requirement in Tennessee that people obtain a license before washing hair professionally.

The Beacon Center has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Memphis woman, who complains that she can't work part-time at a friend's salon.

A license to shampoo hair costs just $50 a year. But before obtaining it, Memphis resident Tammy Pritchard would have to spend 300 hours in school, plus take two exams for $140.

Plus, no school in Tennessee is even currently offering shampoo tech classes, according to the Beacon Center.

It's suing to change the state's licensing laws, arguing that the licensing requirement limits competition in violation of the Tennessee constitution's ban on monopolies. The organization also says it breaks the U.S. Constitution's due process protections.

It has sued the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners on the would-be shampoo tech's behalf.

Copyright 2016 WPLN News

Chas joined WPLN in 2015 after eight years with The Tennessean, including more than five years as the newspaper's statehouse reporter.Chas has also covered communities, politics and business in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Chas grew up in South Carolina and attended Columbia University in New York, where he studied economics and journalism. Outside of work, he's a dedicated distance runner, having completed a dozen marathons