Legislation aimed at regulating grooming and boarding facilities as well as practitioners is heating up with a spate of bills under consideration in New York and Massachusetts.

In New York, Senate Bill 2569, to license groomers, passed out of committee in May and awaited a vote on the Senate floor at press time, while Senate Bill 5423, to license grooming and boarding facilities, advanced to a third reading.

According to Jay Stull, executive director of the Canine Political Action Corps., who met with the sponsors of the bills to propose several revisions, the New York bills may be combined into one comprehensive groomer and grooming facility licensing bill. “We discussed the problems with the existing groomer licensing bill and they were very interested in CPAC’s assistance in formulating something that would work to both protect the consumer and the grooming industry,” Stull said.

In Massachusetts, Senate Bill 235 proposes a Board of Registration of Pet Groomers, consisting of four groomers and one representative from the public, to regulate pet grooming and oversee the licensing examination process. CPAC proposed changes to the complex bill in several key areas, including eliminating the ban on drying cages, and the requirements for licensing bather/brushers. CPAC also proposed the bill allow proof of certification from a national groomer association approved by the board as qualification for licensing without regard to formal groomer education, apprenticeship, or number of years in business prior to the new law taking effect.

“If we can get these proposals amended into the bill, I think we will have the first extremely good state licensing proposal for groomers and grooming facilities,” Stull said.