As mentioned in our prior update, the Minnesota voluntary credentialing bill for massage therapists did not pass in 2014. However, the bill has been reintroduced this year in the Minnesota House of Representatives as House File 644. Representative Nick Zerwas is the chief author and there are over 25 co-authors.
If passed, the bill would:
Two bills have recently been introduced in North Dakota that could impact licensed massage therapists in the state.
Idaho H23 was recently introduced in the Idaho legislature.  Under this bill, an Idaho massage license would not be required for practitioners licensed in another state who are "practicing on clients participating in organized athletic events or affiliated with or employed by established athletic teams, athletic organizations or performing arts companies temporarily practicing, competing or performing in [Idaho] for no more than sixty (60) days in a calendar year." ABMP supports H23 and we will keep you up to date on
A new bill, HI HB 1390, has been introduced in the Hawaii House of Representatives which, if passed, would add two new categories for massage therapists in Hawaii: “certified massage therapist” and “massage therapy assistant.” The current licensed massage therapist (LMT) category would remain in place as well.
A new bill, OK SB 687, has been introduced in the Oklahoma State Senate which, if passed, would require that all Oklahoma massage therapists obtain a state massage therapy license in order to practice. Additionally, anyone using any title indicating that he or she is a massage therapist, or who uses the term "massage" in advertising, would be required to have a massage therapy license. Click here to read the bill.
A new bill, WY S 86, has been introduced in the Wyoming State Senate which, if passed, would require that Wyoming massage therapists hold a state professional license in order to practice. Click here to read the bill. The bill is currently in the initial stages of the state legislative process and may or may not become law in Wyoming.
New York Assembly Bill 9259 was signed into law by Governor Cuomo on December 17, 2014. Under the new law, a massage therapist who holds a massage license in another state does not need to have a New York State massage license in order to teach the hands on portion of a CE course in New York, as long as the CE course (1) is taught in connection with a CE program that is conducted by a New York State-approved CE sponsor, and (2) pertains to a modality that falls within New York's scope of practice for massage.
A new law was passed in Florida this year, s.456.0135, F.S, which imposes new background check requirements on massage therapists. Under the new law, all Florida-licensed massage therapists who received their license prior to July 1, 2014 must complete a criminal background check prior to January 31, 2015. Massage therapists who have certain types of felony offens
At the recent Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) Annual Meeting, it was announced that the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork will no longer be offering or accepting licensure exam applications as of November 1, 2014, and will cease offering licensure exams effective February 1, 2015. These exams used for licensing include the:
Alaska House Bill 328 was signed by Governor Parnell on August 11, 2014, and is now the law in Alaska. The law requires that all massage therapists practicing in Alaska must have a state-issued massage license. The new law does not go into effect until July 15, 2015. There is nothing that you need to do immediately, since a State Board of Massage Therapists has not been appointed by the Governor yet, administrative regulations have not been issued yet, and license applications are not available yet.