South Dakota HB 1102, discussed in our previous legislative update, was signed into law on March 11, 2015. The new law amends the state's massage therapist licensing statute by removing the high school graduation requirement for licensure. The bill also clarifies that the Massage Board has authority to grant a massage therapist license to an applicant even though he or she “has been convicted of, or pled guilty to a felony, any crime involving or relating to the practice of massage, or any crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude,” if the Board determines that “the plea or conviction is of a nature or is sufficiently remote in time that the applicant does not constitute a risk to public safety.” As we previously mentioned, the Massage Board found that these particular issues were serving as barriers for otherwise qualified license applicants.
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