Texas lawmakers are looking to keep kids out of tanning salons.
Under current law, children under 16½ are barred from tanning businesses, and kids 16½ to 18 need parental permission.
Now there’s a bill at the Capitol to keep all minors out of tanning salons.
Lobbyist Joseph Levy of the American Suntanning Association argues that the bill might make tanning more dangerous by taking it out of a controlled, regulated environment.
“Abstinence in this issue is not the answer, because we know that people will tan more aggressively outdoors, will use home units, and that people intrinsically know that some sun exposure is a part of natural existence,” Levy said. “We get less of it today than we ever did in the course of human history. That’s why sun beds were created.”
After a public hearing today in the House Committee on Public Health, the bill was left pending. There’s a similar bill in the Texas Senate.
