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Update on Arkansas HB 1562

04/17/2015
Arkansas HB 1562 has now been signed into law. The final version of the bill does not include Bowenwork exclusion or the registration requirement mentioned in our previous Legislative Update. The new law does extend the definition of prohibited sexual misconduct to include an express prohibition against “sexual activity with consent of or at the request of a client,” and also adds new options for late license renewal by licensees who are on active military duty.

Arkansas State Board of Health To Regulate Massage

04/17/2015
AR S 145 was passed by the Arkansas state legislature and has been signed into law.  The new law abolishes the Arkansas State Board of Massage Therapy and transfers all of the Board’s powers, duties, and functions, including rulemaking, licensing, and adjudications, to the Arkansas State Board of Health.  The main provisions of the law go into effect on October 1, 2015.

Exemption in Idaho for Certain Visiting Therapists

04/17/2015
Idaho HB 23 was signed into law on March 5, 2015.  Under the new law, starting on July 1, 2015, an Idaho massage license is not required for therapists who are currently licensed, registered or certified in another state or foreign country if they are practicing in Idaho on clients participating in organized athletic teams or events, or in performing arts companies, for no more than sixty 60 days in a calendar year.

Montana Makes Technical Change

04/17/2015
Montana SB 104 was signed into law on February 25, 2015.  The law makes a purely technical change to the state’s massage therapy law by deleting the provisions pertaining to obtaining a license by grandfathering, which expired in 2012.

CE Hours Reduced in North Dakota

04/17/2015

North Dakota SB 2085, discussed in our previous legislative update, was signed into law on April 8, 2015. The final version of the law amends the state’s massage therapy statute by reducing the number of continuing education hours required for massage therapists in North Dakota from 32 to 24, every two years.  The law also reduces the number of CE hours that can be earned remotely from 12 to nine, and requires three hours of ethics CE.  No CE is required during a licensee’s initial two-year licensing period.

ABMP Massage School Census Report Released

04/02/2015
ABMP’s ninth biennial census of massage school programs—a comprehensive look at massage school and graduation numbers—was completed earlier this year. ABMP contacted more than 1,400 programs in our database and asked them one question: “How many students graduated from your primary massage program in 2014?” Read the full report here: www.abmp.com/shrinking-pie2015.pdf

New Arkansas Bill Would Transfer Massage Regulation to State Health Board

03/16/2015
AR S 145 was recently introduced in the Arkansas state legislature.  The bill proposes to amend the Arkansas massage therapy law by abolishing the State Board of Massage Therapy and transferring all of the Board’s powers, duties, and functions, including rulemaking, licensing, and adjudications, to the Arkansas State Board of Health.  We will keep you informed of important developments on this bill.

Arkansas Bills Would Exempt Bowen Technique from State License Requirement

03/09/2015
Two new bills introduced in the Arkansas legislature, HB 1562 and HB 1589, seek to exempt practitioners of Bowen therapy and Bowen techniques from the state’s massage licensure requirement.  Under these bills, Bowen practitioners would not be required to hold a state massage license to practice in Arkansas as long as they are certified by a professional or credentialing agency which (1) requires a minimum level of training, demonstrati

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