Making Texas a Bit less Orange.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A proposal in Texas to restrict tanning bed usage is being compared to legislation against Big Tobacco.

"In the United states and Texas, we don't allow our teens to purchase cigarettes until after they are 18 because it is a carcinogen," said Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton. "Yet we don't do that for tanning beds, which can expose teens to the same risk for cancer."

The bill would require anyone under 18 years old to get a doctor's note before using a tanning bed and would require a parent be with them in the salon. Supporters and detractors said this would be the strictest legislation any state has passed on teen tanning.

In testimony to the board Tuesday, one of the state's largest tanning salons said current oversight is strong enough, and that parents should decide whether their child can use a tanning bed.

"This should not be a state issue, a doctor's issue -- it's a parental issue. I have a right to decide what is right or wrong for my daughter," said Diane Lucas, president of Texas-based Palm Beach Tan. She was also representing the Indoor Tanning Association.

Both sides acknowledged that a doctor's note would be difficult to get if the bill passed.

The bill was left pending in the House Public Health Committee.