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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Lyda Hanson thought she was one of the lucky
ones. Even before graduating from beauty school, she landed a job
at a “perfect” salon and was ready to get started on her dream
career.
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But when Minnesota’s government shutdown prevented her from getting
her cosmetology license, the hair stylist job went to someone else
– and Hanson had to start her search again, telling prospective
employers she has no idea when she can start.
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“I feel kind of stranded at the moment,” said Hanson, 19, of Prior
Lake. “I’m just kind of taking it day by day, trying to figure
things out.”
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While Minnesota’s budget impasse has forced 22,000 state employees
out of work and shut down many services, it has also left countless
ordinary citizens in limbo – unable to work or facing serious
business losses because they can’t get the paperwork needed to do
their jobs.
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Cosmetologists, nurses, dentists and other professionals can’t get
licenses to practice. Would-be drivers can’t take license tests and
get behind the wheel. Some businesses are hung up because they
can’t get required inspections. Hundreds of restaurants and bar
owners can’t buy liquor, and fear serious fallout when current
supplies run out.
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“I’ve done everything that I was supposed to do,” said Erik
Forsberg, owner of The Ugly Mug restaurant and bar in Minneapolis.
“I followed the rules. Why is the state trying to put me out of
business?”
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The shutdown entered its 13th day Wednesday with no talks planned
between Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative
leaders. Dayton has outlined several ways to raise tax revenue,
including new taxes on the rich and eliminating tax breaks. GOP
leaders don’t want new taxes.
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Bars, liquor stores and other venues selling alcohol – like bowling
alleys or golf courses – must renew what is called a retailer
buyer’s card each year to purchase booze from wholesalers. Around
320 businesses currently don’t have valid cards, and if the
shutdown drags into August, roughly 400 more will see their cards
expire, said Frank Ball, executive director of the Minnesota
Licensed Beverage Association.
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Forsberg knew his card expired June 30 – the day before government
went dark – so he renewed it. He has a receipt showing he’s
current, but the state couldn’t issue his actual card before
closing down, so wholesalers won’t sell him the liquor or craft
beers he specializes in.
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Because he accidentally ordered too much liquor in his last
shipment, he thinks he can get by for about four to six weeks. And
he’ll continue to sell food. But his rent near the Minnesota Twins’
Target Field is expensive, and liquor sales are a huge part of what
he brings in.
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He’s already lost revenue. He planned to host an event for a new
Belgian brewery that would have brought 1,200 people into his
restaurant. Since he couldn’t buy the brewery’s product to put on
tap, the brewery took its event elsewhere.
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“That’s real dollars, in a sluggish economy, in a slow month,” he
said.
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The shutdown is causing hardships for others, too.
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Kinya Gilbert finished her driver’s education classes on July 1 –
Day One of the shutdown. The 15-year-old from Richfield wanted to
take her written test right away so she could get her learner’s
permit and get on the road to independence. But the test isn’t
being offered. So she waits.
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In Minnesota, drivers age 18 or under must have an instruction
permit for six months before they can get a license. The delay in a
permit, and a delayed license, is a hassle for both Gilbert and her
parents, who have to drive her and her little brother
around.
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“I have swimming every day after school and I do it all year round
too, so I’m going to have to get there somehow,” she said. “I’ve
been taking the bus and riding my bike, but it would just be better
to drive.”
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Professional licenses are also on hold, with many boards that issue
those certifications shut down.
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Sara Cisneros, 24, of St. Paul, says she has wanted to be a nurse
since age 11, when she cared for her dad after he fell off a roof.
She recently graduated from St. Catherine University’s nursing
program and has passed her boards – but can’t get a license to work
with patients.
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Cisneros has a work permit that’s good through Aug. 2, allowing her
to practice under another registered nurse. She’s training at a
nursing home in Roseville, where she has a job lined up.
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“But if my work permit expires before the state opens, then I have
to stop working,” she said. She has been at the nursing home for
four years in the medical records department, and says she might be
able to return to that post if she can’t get her nursing license
right away.
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“But it’s very disappointing to go back, when I’ve worked so hard
to nurse,” she said.
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Hanson also felt inspired to be a hair stylist, and wants to get
started on a career where she feels she’ll help people feel good
about themselves. She graduated from the Minnesota School of Beauty
in Lakeville on June 30. She finished her requirements three days
earlier, and called state officials that week to see if they could
issue her license before July 1.
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But the state requires some original documents – not copies – and
officials told her they were already backed up two weeks. Fearing
her irreplaceable documents would get lost during a shutdown,
Hanson didn’t feel comfortable sending them in.
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For two days she watched, hoping the state would keep running. When
it shut down, she kept her fingers crossed that it wouldn’t be for
long. Then, she learned she lost a position at a salon that she
called “the perfect salon for me.” The salon needed someone
immediately and opted to hire a different stylist who already was
licensed.
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“I was completely heartbroken,” Hanson said. Thinking she was going
to start a new job, she had already cut back hours at her other job
– and can’t get those hours back.
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Susan Brinkhaus, executive director of the Minnesota Salon and Spa
Professional Association, said the shutdown also affects salon
licenses, instructor licenses, and anyone trying to renew their
individual licenses – current cosmetologists must renew their
licenses during the month of their birthday. So anyone with a July
birthday will see their license expire this month, and likely won’t
be able to get it renewed. There are about 30,000 licensees in
Minnesota.
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“It’s going to affect a lot of people,” she said. “In this case,
they are just plain stuck.”
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