Recent News and Legislative Updates

Minnesota Considers Adopting Voluntary Registration for Massage Therapists

If passed, House File 1503, would create a voluntary registration credential for massage therapists and create the Registered Massage Therapist Advisory Council to advise and assist the Board of Nursing in implementing the law. ABMP cannot support the bill in its current form; however, we are working with the AMTA chapter and legislative sponsor with the hope of amending the bill to address our concerns. The following are areas that currently are cause for ABMP’s concern: School Approval

Georgia Legislature Considers Amending the Massage Therapy Licensing Law

Senate Bill 364, authored by Senator Cecil Staton, would amend the Massage Therapy Practice Act. If passed, the bill would amend the licensing law in three primary ways:
  1. If convicted for a sexual offense, a person's massage therapist license would be suspended.
  2. The penalties for violations to the massage therapy law would increase.
  3. Local jurisdictions would be required to regulate massage businesses.

Wisconsin Committee Passes Bill

AB 588 was passed favorably out of the Assembly Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform with two small changes.
  • The Examining Board was changed to an Affiliated Credentialing Board. A credentialing board has similar responsibilities to an examining board. Members are appointed by the governor and subject to senate confirmation, they would have authority to issue administrative rules interpreting the licensing law, and they would have authority to investigate complaints and discipline licensees.

Kentucky Considers Amending Massage Therapy Practice Act

For the last two years, the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Massage Therapy and a few representatives from both ABMP and the AMTA-Kentucky Chapter have been discussing changes to the Massage Therapy Practice Act. House Bill 180, sponsored by Representative Ruth Ann Palumbo, is the result of those discussions. If passed, HB 180 would make a few small changes to the existing law:
  • An exemption for instructors who are residents of another state who are in Kentucky to teach short term would be clarified.

California Regulatory Update

Les Sweeney, NCTM President, ABMP The blogosphere has heated up lately regarding implementation of statewide massage regulations in California—we think that’s healthy. The massage community needs to be engaged in offering its opinions. It took six years to get a bill passed; how the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) implements the law is just as important.

Student Clinic Issue Resolved for Michigan Proprietary Schools

Senate bill 786, sponsored by Senator Sanborn, was approved by Governor Granholm on January 4, 2010. The law amends how proprietary schools are licensed and regulated in Michigan as previously defined by law. ABMP became involved with this effort a few years ago when we were contacted by several proprietary schools concerned that the Proprietary School Unit (the division authorized to enforce the Proprietary School Act) were enforcing a provision in the law that did not allow massage therapy schools to sell goods or services provided by its students.

Kansas Committee Does Not Recommend Licensure of Massage Therapists

As reported in November, The KDHE Occupational Credentialing Technical Review Committee has been evaluating the American Massage Therapy Association’s sunrise document to determine whether the profession meets the criteria for regulation in Kansas. On Friday, December 11, 2009, the committee voted not to recommend to the state legislature the licensure of massage therapists in Kansas, stating the profession did not meet the criteria.

Wisconsin Considers Amending the Regulation of Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers

Assembly bill 588, sponsored by Representative Berceau, would make a number of changes to the regulation of massage and bodywork therapists. Under current law, a person who is not certified as a massage therapist or bodyworker by the Department of Regulations and Licensing may not designate himself/herself as a massage therapist or bodyworker. AB 588 would make it mandatory for massage and bodywork therapists to be licensed by the state in order to practice.

Kansas Committee Considering Recommendation to License Massage Therapists

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and the AMTA Kansas chapter submitted a sunrise document (essentially an application to license massage therapists in Kansas) to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). The KDHE Occupational Credentialing Technical Review Committee was appointed to review the document in a series of four meetings, two of which have already occurred; it will make a recommendation to the legislature whether massage therapy should be regulated in the state of Kansas based on this document.



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