05/31/2016
The Minnesota voluntary credentialing bill for massage therapists failed in the state legislature. The bill, House File 644, along with companion bill Senate File 1310, sought to create a voluntary massage therapy credential in the state which would have allowed massage therapists to register with the state as a “Registered Massage and Bodywork Therapist,” or RMBT, if they chose to do so, in order to be exempted from having to obtain multiple mandatory city licenses for each locality in which they work.
The Alliance for Legislation of Massage Therapy (ALMT) worked diligently on the bill for many months, but ultimately the bill was defeated. The result is that massage and bodywork therapies will not have statewide regulation in Minnesota in the near future. HF644/SF1310 progressed further than any prior legislative effort for voluntary credentialing in Minnesota, and proponents of a voluntary system will have future opportunities to have their voices heard.