Oregon SB 298, discussed in our previous Legislative Update, was signed into law by Governor Brown on June 18, 2015, with certain important changes over the original version of the bill. 

In general, the new law regulates massage and bodywork practitioners in same manner as current law with a few changes; changes which should have little effect on current Oregon licensees. The new law goes into effect January 1, 2016.

2013 Missouri House Bill 659, which we discussed in our March 2013 Legislative Update, did not pass in the state legislature in 2013, and has not been reintroduced. The state’s mandatory licensing law remains in place. We will keep you updated on any future licensing proposals in Missouri.

Our last New Mexico Legislative Update, issued in May 2009, discussed then-proposed changes to the state’s massage therapy regulations.   To read the state regulations currently in place as of July 2015, please go to the New Mexico Board of Massage Therapy website and click on “Chapter 7 Massage Therapists.”

2013 Missouri House Bill 659, which we discussed in our March 2013 Legislative Update, did not pass in the state legislature in 2013, and has not been reintroduced.  The state’s mandatory licensing law remains in place.  We will keep you updated on any future licensing proposals in Missouri. 

Our last New Mexico Legislative Update, issued in May 2009, discussed then-proposed changes to the state’s massage therapy regulations.To read the state regulations currently in place as of July 2015, please go to the New Mexico Board of Massage Therapy website and click on “Chapter 7 Massage Therapists.”

In our March 2015 legislative update we discussed that the North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy (NCBMBT) had proposed rules to begin licensing massage establishments.  ABMP is opposed to regulatory boards attempting to regulate businesses since local jurisdictions usually regulate businesses already if they find a need to do so.

Vermont is one of five states in the US that currently does not have state licensing or other state regulation of massage therapists. There have been two bills introduced in the last two years that intended to regulate the profession; however, neither bill was written or endorsed by the massage community. The bills were written with the intent to curb human trafficking – not regulate a health profession.

Under Maryland HB 208, which was recently signed into law by Governor Hogan, Maryland massage therapists no longer have to have their trade names preapproved by the State Board of Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Examiners.

Our last legislative update discussed 2011 Massachusetts Senate Bill 90, which proposed to amend the state’s massage licensing law by, among other things, increasing the classroom hours required for licensure from 650 to 900 hours. SB 90 did not pass in the state legislature and has not been reintroduced in subsequent legislative sessions. We will keep you updated on future legislation affecting massage therapists in Massachusetts.

Our last Iowa legislative update discussed 2012 HB 2126, which proposed to change the 600-hour massage education requirement for licensure in Iowa. HB 2126 did not pass, and has not been reintroduced. The 600 hour education requirement therefore remains in place in Iowa. We will keep you updated on future legislation affecting the massage profession in Iowa.