Minnesota Bill to Create Voluntary Registration for Massage Therapists Dies

Senate File 1233, the Senate’s version of the House’s 1503, has stalled in the Senate Health, Housing, and Family Security committee. Following a hearing on Monday, March 15, 2010, the bill failed to secure a vote and was held over without further action. The bill is considered dead and will likely be re-introduced next year. If passed, SF 1233/HF 1503 would have created a voluntary registration credential for massage therapists. As detailed in the update on March 5, ABMP opposed the bill because of a mandatory requirement for schools to be accredited to be recognized by the board. As a result, only graduates of accredited massage schools would have been eligible for state registration. Since only 43% of massage therapy schools are accredited nationwide, this would have created a barrier to entry for any massage therapist who did not attend an accredited school. ABMP worked with the AMTA chapter and sponsors to draft language that addressed this concern. Unfortunately, this language was not fully incorporated into SF 1233 and the bill was held over without a vote. Had this change been made, ABMP would have supported the bill and endorsed the voluntary credential.