ITA Update: Doctors For Hire Find Themselves In Hot Water

State Legislative Update

Activity in the states continues to heat up as we approach the midpoint in the 2008 legislative calendar. Five new bills have been introduced; once again the common theme is restricting youth access.

The Mississippi House weighed in with the reintroduction of a proposal from 2007 that would restrict teen access. In addition, the Nebraska legislature now is considering a bill that would require additional warning signs and parental consent for anyone under 19, while Missouri has a bill that would place a ban on anyone under the age of 16 and require a number of additional warnings to customers.

The Maryland House of Delegates has targeted our industry with two bills. The first singles out the indoor tanning industry for additional sales taxes; the other is aimed at severely restricting teen access by requiring a parent to be present every time a customer under 18 tans. We ask all Maryland salon owners, employees and customers to go to www.theita.com and send a petition to their state legislators asking them to oppose these punitive bills.

In South Dakota, we have good news to report. The House considered several options including licensing, inspection and parental consent before deciding to take no action.