Senate Bill 1152 passed in 2003 specifies the 17 members of the TexasOnline Authority which has the responsibility of administering the TexasOnline project.

The exerpt from Senate Bill 1152 below shows that occupational licensees were given no representation on the TexasOnline Authority.

The authority consists of the comptroller, who serves ex officio, or the designee of the comptroller, and a board member who serves at the pleasure of the governor, and 15 members appointed by the governor, as follows:

The Texas State Board of Barber Examiners and the Texas Cosmetology Commission are among the agencies that requested exemption from online fees. The Texas State Board of Barber Examiners and the Cosmetology Commission requested exemption from both the new fees allowed under SB 1152 and the fees that are currently being collected as mandated by SB 645 (77R).

Barber Exemption Request,     MS Word   ---   Adobe Acrobat

The Texas Online Authority met on February 6, 2004 to consider requests for exemption from online fees. According to a source who attended the meeting, all requests were denied with the exception of a few almost unique situations. The Texas Online Authority extimated that they would loose only $4,000 from the exemptions that were granted.     Texas Online Authority February 6th minutes

The Texas Online Authority met on December 12, 2003 at the Wm. Hobby State Building in Austin.   Several agencies had requested exemptions from some or all of the proposed new license fees before the December 12th meeting.   The Texas State Board of Barber Examiners and the Texas Cosmetology Commission were among those requesting exemptions.

The Texas Online Authority decided to limit the consideration of exemptions to once a year.   They will allow other agencies to apply for an exemption until early January.   The Texas Online Authority will consider all exemption requests at their meeting in February.   Public comment was given at the beginning of the meeting.   Representatives of the agencies that had requested an exemption from the new fees made presentations during consideration of agenda item XIII.

Senate bill 1152, which passed in the spring of 2003, expanded the Texas Online Authority and allowed it to put original licenses and as well as original and renewal of barber shop, salon, and booth rental permits online and charge new subscription fees.   For barbers, some of the proposed new subscription fees would add $4 to the cost of a Barber or Manicure shop permit and $4 to the cost of a booth rental permit.   It is not clear at this time what the increase would be for licensees of the Cosmetology Commission.   Approximately 2% of barbers are currently renewing their regular licenses online, so the usage of online license renewal for the new license should be about the same.

Licensees of the Barber Board and Cosmetology Commission already pay more in fees than used to operate their agencies, including the cost of issuing licenses.   The Texas Online Authority legislation forces all licensees to pay higher fees for a redundant payment method.   The scheme does not add any new function, or solve any problem that affects the core mission of the agencies.

Everyone would have to pay the new fees, if approved, whether they use the online service or not.
Ninety percent of the new fees will go to the corporations who are partnered with the state.   Ten percent will go to the state general fund.   Many feel that it is unjust to charge everyone for a service, which doesn't contribute to the agency's mission, doesn't benefit the industry, and is used by only a few licensees.

The Cosmetology Commission and the Barber Board have requested an exemption from online licensing.

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Updated   15FEB05 2310 CDT