The Texture Positive Act of 2025 would authorize the Secretary of Labor to award competitive grants to states to fund subgrants to eligible entities. The aim is to educate and train cosmetology students and professionals on how to shampoo, deep condition, braid, twist, and style textured hair.
States would oversee subgrants to eligible entities that meet specified ownership, experience, and certification criteria. The bill sets timelines, reporting requirements, and definitions to govern the program and ensure the funds reach established cosmetology schools and related providers.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Secretary of Labor awards state grants on a competitive basis. States then issue subgrants to eligible entities to provide textured-hair cosmetology education and training.
Who It Affects
States, cosmetology schools, instructors, and students; eligible entities must meet criteria including MWBE certification and a minimum 5-year operating history.
Why It Matters
Creates a federal pathway to expand access to specialized cosmetology training, targeting textured-hair services and supporting minority-owned enterprises in the field.
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What This Bill Actually Does
This bill creates a federal grant program to expand training in textured-hair cosmetology. The Secretary of Labor would award grants to states, and states would pass funds through subgrants to eligible entities such as established cosmetology-related organizations or certified minority-owned businesses.
Subgrants must fund education and hands-on training on shampooing, conditioning, braiding, twisting, and styling textured hair, and may cover curriculum development, instructor training, and digital training tools. Applicants for subgrants must include plans to reach more students and demonstrate cost estimates and expected student reach.
The program runs for four years at the state-grant level, with subgrants lasting six months and renewable by the state, subject to performance and reporting. Both subgrant recipients and states must submit periodic reports detailing usage, partner schools, trained instructors, and student numbers.
Definitions clarify who counts as a cosmetology school, who qualifies as an eligible entity, and what textured hair means. The law is designed to build workforce capacity in a niche that requires specialized technique and diverse stylists; it emphasizes competitive funding and accountability through reporting.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The Secretary must award competitive state grants to fund subgrants to eligible entities.
Eligible entities must have at least 5 years in operation, an EIN, MWBE certification, and cannot be a consortium or school already funded by federal programs beyond this subgrant.
Subgrants must support education on shampooing, conditioning, braiding, twisting, and styling textured hair.
Subgrants are six-month terms, renewable by the state, with four-year grant terms for states and renewal considerations.
Both recipients and states must submit structured reports detailing use, partners, instructors trained, and student reach.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Short Title
This Act may be cited as the Texture Positive Act of 2025.
Grants Authorized
The Secretary shall award, on a competitive basis, grants to States for the purpose of awarding subgrants to eligible entities to carry out the activities described in this section.
Applications to the Secretary
A State seeking a grant must submit an application to the Secretary including required information and a summary of the information submitted by each eligible entity the State plans to award a subgrant to.
Subgrants to Eligible Entities
A State that receives a grant shall use it to award subgrants to eligible entities on a competitive basis for carrying out the activities described in paragraph (3).
Eligible Entity Applications
An eligible entity seeking a subgrant must submit an application to the State describing how it will carry out the activities, an estimate of costs per student and total students planned, and a description of how it will increase access to training.
Use of Funds — Curriculum and Training
Subgrant funds may be used to provide education and training on shampooing, deep conditioning, braiding, twisting, and styling textured hair, and may support curriculum development, instructor training, and digital training tools.
Determination of Subgrant Amounts
States shall award subgrants in amounts deemed appropriate based on the applicant’s cost estimates and expected number of students.
Duration and Renewal
Grant awards to States last four years and may be renewed by the Secretary. Subgrants run for six months and may be renewed by the State, based on the performance information.
Reporting Requirements
Eligible entities must report 60 days before each subgrant term’s end, detailing use of funds, partner cosmetology schools, trained instructors, and student counts. States must report within 60 days after each grant term, identifying the awarding State agency and summarizing the information submitted.
Definitions
Cosmetology School means a school providing training for cosmetology careers; Eligible Entity means a non-profit or for-profit entity that meets five-year-history, experience, EIN, and MWBE criteria (excluding certain combinations); Secretary means the Secretary of Labor; State means each state, D.C., and other U.S. jurisdictions; Textured Hair means hair that is coiled, curly, or wavy in its natural state.
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Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Cosmetology schools and training providers that partner with states to expand curriculum and reach more students, particularly MWBE-certified applicants.
- Instructors trained under the subgrants who gain stable employment and professional development opportunities.
- Students, especially those from textured-hair communities, who receive access to formal education and job-ready skills.
- State workforce development agencies and departments that gain a funded program aligned with talent pipelines in beauty services.
Who Bears the Cost
- States incur administrative responsibilities to manage grants and subgrants and to compile required reports.
- Eligible entities must allocate resources to implement curricula and hire instructors, potentially reconfiguring budgets to meet grant requirements.
- The federal program necessitates ongoing reporting and oversight, which implies compliance costs for recipients and monitoring bodies.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The core tension is between expanding access to highly specialized cosmetology training for textured-hair services and maintaining tight federal oversight, cost controls, and measurable outcomes at the state and provider level.
The act centralizes funding through states, but implementation hinges on each state’s ability to run a competitive subgrant process and manage reporting. While the program can broaden access to specialized training, it introduces a layer of administrative oversight that could pose compliance challenges for smaller providers.
The balance between rigorous reporting and timely training delivery will shape the program’s effectiveness. Uncertainties include whether four-year state grants align with evolving workforce needs and how quickly eligible entities can scale training to meet demand.
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