There was a interesting development in Ohio this year when Rep. Courtney Combs introduced a new version of his bill seeking to ban teen tanning—SB 173 not only seeks ban UV tanning for anyone under the age of 18, this legislation apparently wants to ban sunless as well, unless the under-18 tanner provided a doctor’s prescription.
You could argue that something this extreme actually helps the industry. It clearly demonstrates that the goal of the people behind this proposal is to undermine your businesses. And, you would think that legislators in a state such as Ohio—dealing with record unemployment and almost daily reports of plant closings and jobs relocating out-of-state—would think twice about considering a bill that could cost so many jobs.
This past May in Maine, the industry dodged a bullet when the Department of Health and Humans Services testified at a hearing that it already had the authority to ban teen tanning and was going to do so. In the end, the legislature passed a bill strengthening parental consent requirements for under-18-year-olds and directing the department to cease seeking legislation that would ban all teens.
Meanwhile, we secured a significant victory in Florida when two bills seeking to ban under-16 tanners were withdrawn from consideration. Texas, however, still presents a huge challenge with its proposed under-16-and-a-half ban. Other problem areas remain in Vermont and New York (under-18 bans), Massachusetts and North Carolina (under-16 bans), and Pennsylvania (extremely high licensing and inspections fees). In addition, a bill seeking to ban tanners under 14-years-old was recently introduced in Delaware.
Source:
Indoor Tanning Association (ITA)
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