South Dakota

Governor Rounds signed senate Bill 70 into law on March 2, 2007. The law amends the Massage Therapy Practice Act, which was enacted in 2005. The law changes 3 key issues:

• The fees associated with the application and licensing process will be reduced. The nonrefundable application fee will be $100 and the license and renewal fee will be capped at the amount of $65 instead of $300. The license will be valid for one year instead of two years.
• The National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork will not be singled out as the only exam accepted by the board. This leaves room for growth in the field and allows more flexibility for the board.
• The continuing education requirement will be decreased from the requirement of 16 hours every 2 years to 8 hours every 2 years. Four of the eight hours required can be obtained by electronic means.

The next step will be for the South Dakota Board of Massage Therapy to clarify how and when these changes will be implemented.