The American Suntanning Association is staying ahead of attempts to over-regulate professional indoor tanning facilities at the state and federal level in 2024.
Efforts to keep people under the age of 21 from using sunbeds in professional salons have been introduced in New York state, with anti-sun groups in California looking at the same. An under-18 bill in Ohio has been reintroduced once again, as well, while other states continue to look at finding ways to restrict access to professional salon services.
And, more than ever, ASA’s promotion and defense of the market with policymakers is founded in constructive dialogue that positions tanning professionals as part of the solution in real-world sun care.
In 2022 and 2023, the American Suntanning Association came out on the winning side in all 15 state legislative issues raised without a defeat, using science to convince legislators that our approach to sunburn prevention and parental consent for tanners is the best way to address sun care issues. ASA is 29-0 in state capital issues in the past three years.
“The best way to keep legislation from getting any traction is to re-dedicate your tanning business to professional practices, sunburn prevention and to be worthy of the path that is being blazed for the tanning market of tomorrow.”
Joe Levy
Many of these issues involved proposed under-18 or even under-21 age restrictions for usage of a professional sunbed facility. In many cases, ASA convinced would-be bill sponsors not to even introduce bills after seeing the science that does not support that approach. Some of our victories involved tax bills and other issues.
“We have blazed a common approach of putting real-world sun care in constructive, scientifically supported terms,” says ASA Executive Director & Director of Scientific Affairs, Joseph Levy. Since 2015, ASA has convinced state legislatures 125 times that our positions make sense – continuing to win when we have the opportunity to lay out the unintended consequences of anti-sun legislation.
“We can demonstrate that our position is solid scientifically,” said Levy, who has now traveled to 43 different state capitols representing salon operators on behalf of ASA and ASA partners.
Again in 2023, Levy met with state officials and legislators nationwide – spending days with legislators laying out the science behind our issue.
“The best way to keep legislation from getting any traction is to re-dedicate your tanning business to professional practices, sunburn prevention and to be worthy of the path that is being blazed for the tanning market of tomorrow,” Levy said. “And get involved with ASA. We need your support.”
