Texas has joined California, Vermont, Oregon and Nevada by passing legislation that prohibits minors under the age of 18 from indoor tanning, according to a news release from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).
According to the AAD, the new legislation passed both the Texas Senate and House in May. Texas governor Rick Perry did not sign or veto the bill within a 20-day period, which, according to the AAD, makes the bill law automatically. The ban is set to take effect on September 1, 2013.
The bill was supported by a number of organizations, including the AAD, the Texas Dermatological Society, the Texas Pediatric Society and more.
The new legislation in Texas comes less than two weeks after Connecticut passed a bill that bans minors under 17 years of age from using tanning beds.
For more information about the recent developments in indoor tanning legislation, please visit www.aad.org.
