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Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals:
Advancing professionalism through practice support, ethical standards, legislative advocacy, and public education. |
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  massagetherapy.com massageandbodywork.com massagemarketplace.com bodysensemagazine.com ascpskincare.com  ABMP’s Legislative Principles and Actions The July edition of Massage Today contained a column by Ralph Stephens that contained inaccurate statements regarding ABMP’s role in recent legislative activities. In the column, Mr. Stephens stated that ABMP and the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) had “teamed up” to pass massage licensing laws, implying that the two organizations were moving in lock-step fashion on a zealous quest to secure massage licensing in every state. His column also suggested that ABMP’s overall stance on regulation was today quite different from what we advocated 5-10 years ago. Given these misperceptions, it may be useful to re-clarify ABMP’s legislative principles and how they have factored in recent activity. ABMP’s mission regarding regulation of the massage field has been, and remains, to help the profession identify and seek the most helpful level of regulation—which sometimes means no regulation—in a specific state or municipality. This view has at times been at odds with other organizations’ views. Our interactions with the American Massage Therapy Association typically occur on a chapter level, since their legislative positions are largely determined by their local chapters. We have worked in concert with AMTA chapters in some states (recent efforts in Colorado and Michigan are prime examples), and have also been on opposite sides of an issue from them in other instances. Our primary focus throughout has been the professional welfare of our members and the profession as a whole. AMTA has made clear that they desire licensing of massage therapists in each of the 50 states as expeditiously as possible. ABMP by contrast believes the potential advantages and disadvantages of state licensing at any particular point in time deserve a case-by-case examination. We perform that analysis and survey our members’ views before taking a stance in any state newly examining possible licensing. ABMP offers its legislative views in a document titled “8 Core Principles,” a declaration of foundational elements of massage therapy regulation. These views were first published in this form in 2003, but are perspectives that have been held by ABMP since its current leadership took office in 1996. The "8 Core Principles" are available for viewing. In recent legislative activity, ABMP has served as a catalyst in helping to initiate legislation (Colorado), has been a lead participant in a coalition (California), and also opposed changes enacted by an existing board (Massachusetts). In each instance, the mission has been the same—to help the profession identify and seek the most helpful level of regulation in a specific state or municipality. The foundation for ABMP’s legislative principles dates back to your association’s inception in 1987, and have further evolved over the past twenty years: we feel when approaching enacting any new regulations, a healthy dose of skepticism is important. It is through this filter that we approach any regulatory action. It’s easy to rush to judgment, but to date no state has passed massage licensing laws and later rescinded them, so it is sensible to assess all the potential consequences and benefits before sponsoring a new law. Why does ABMP advocate for different legislative solutions in different states? Circumstances aren’t always the same. Some typical reasons why ABMP would support enacting statewide regulation might include:
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© Copyright 2007. Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals.