ASSEMBLY PANEL RELEASES CONAWAY MEASURE TO LICENSE TATTOO, BODY PIERCING ARTISTS

ASSEMBLY PANEL RELEASES CONAWAY MEASURE TO LICENSE TATTOO, BODY-PIERCING ARTISTS         

Assemblyman Says Measure Necessary to Protect Consumers From Potential Harm, Set High Standards for Performance 

(TRENTON) - The Assembly Regulated Professions Committee today released legislation Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr., MD sponsored to require licensing of tattoo and body piercing artists operating businesses in New Jersey.

Under the Conaway measure (A-2433), the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) would be required to establish standards for licensing and practicing invasive procedures such as tattooing and body piercing. Tattooing an body piercing currently are unregulated.

"We need to ensure safe standards for invasive procedures that can be potentially harmful," said Conaway (D-Burlington), a practicing physician. "Individuals who wish to get a tattoo or piercing should know that the artist they are paying meets the highest possible standards."

The "Tattooing and Body Piercing Practice Act" would further authorize DHSS to deny, suspend or revoke a license upon proof that the licensee:

· employed unlicensed individuals;
· provided false or misleading information in advertisements;
· used instruments or procedures not approved by the department;
· maintained an unsafe or unsanitary office; or
· acted inconsistently with the standards established by the department.

Presently, tattooing and body piercing are largely unregulated practices, except for requiring sterilization of equipment, preparation of the skin where the tattoo will be applied, aftercare following the tattooing, and limitations on dyes and pigments used.

Individuals working in this field are not licensed and are not required to take any course or examinations before performing tattooing or body piercing on members of the public.

Conaway's measure would require the tattoo and body piercing artist to obtain a state-issued license to practice. It would establish minimum qualifications and require inspection of  the offices in which the artists operate.

To qualify for a license, the artist must:

· be 18 years or older;
· have successfully completed an appropriate education program; and
· pass a practical examination.

Under the measure, an individual who holds a valid license in another state and passes the examination would be granted a license. An individual who has been practicing tattooing or body piercing for five years would be eligible for a license.

"Tattos can last a lifetime, and so can diseases contracted from improperly handled tools used  by an ill-prepared artist," said Conaway. "The only thing consumers should worry about when patronizing a tattoo or body-piercing parlor should he the design or jewelry they want, not whether they are putting themselves in harms way."

The measure was released 7 _0. It now heads to the Assembly Speaker, who decides if and when to post it for a floor vote.

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