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(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 482 requires that tattoos, scarification and body piercing can only be performed by licensed medical practitioners which include only licensed physicians, physician assistants, doctors of oriental medicine or nurse practitioners.

Significant Issues

None of the above mentioned practitioners have any training in tattooing, scarification or body piercing. The use of instruments that have not been properly sterilized when performing tattooing, scarification or body piercing can transmit certain infectious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. However, in New Mexico, the incidence of these diseases caused by the use of improperly sterilized instruments has not been documented nor is there any indication that tattooing, scarification or body piercing has contributed significantly to the transmission of these diseases in the general population. Lack of sterilization of instruments for tattooing in the prison populations is a concern for the transmission of disease in New Mexico and the nation.

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