A message from our President, Latricia Akins

 

Response to TikTok video on social media

 

On Friday, June 20, 2025, MSBCB Executive Director Catherine Bell met with industry
instructors, school owners, and association presidents regarding the status of the agency.
Bell informed us that the governor signed the appropriation bill HB18 for the agency to
receive the funds needed to advance the technology needed to ensure licensees could get
licensed. She also stated that the current evaluators contracts were about to expire on
June 30, 2025. What that means is that the agency would lose the contractors, but they
will be replaced by licensed workers that are employed in the agency to finish out the current schedule of
testing through October 1, 2025.

 

More testing will be scheduled once the board is back in session, and the
rules and regulations are still in effect during this time. There is currently no sitting board as of today due to
the calendar timing out before the committee could confirm the appointments of the members that served on
the state board. Therefore, no meetings are going to be scheduled until they are confirmed. What does that
mean for you as licensees? So glad you asked, you will still go to work and continue to do the sanitation that
you have always done. You will continue to renew your licenses. You will continue to have inspections, get
approvals to open salons and barbershops through the MSBCB. Students, you will still go to classes each day
and do your very best. You will still sign up to take the state test.

 

No one will receive a permit until the theory
test has been passed. Nothing has changed with that regardless of what you have seen or heard on TikTok.

School owners and instructors check your emails for any updates on the status from Catherine Bell. If you
are in doubt or misunderstood anything said by current administration, please contact them. If there is still
no clarity contact MSCBA/MCBA/MIBBA/SOTA/ MEA or Council president Theresa Barr, all emails and
telephone numbers are listed on the MSBCB website.

There has been considerable misinformation about industry changes in our state from uninformed sources.
Please be patient, the governor and the legislators are aware that we are waiting for confirmation. Please give
them a chance to get the appointments and confirmations scheduled. There is no imminent threat or danger
to our industry being deregulated or torn apart. It is my hope that each of you will join an association to be
better informed about changes in the state. Thank you all for keeping the state of Mississippi looking and
feeling great.

​

Latricia Akins

MCBA President 2024-2025