Recent News and Legislative Updates

Montana Licensing Reminder

04/04/2012

If you have already received your license, you may disregard this message.

It is illegal to practice massage therapy in Montana without having a state license. Most massage therapists have already applied for and received their license. However, if you were delaying the process for some reason, perhaps you have not been practicing, or you’re taking a break for some other reason, please be advised that the “grandfathering provision” is expiring soon.  

Kansas Bill to License Massage Therapists Fails

03/30/2012

House Bill 2564, which would have required massage therapists to become state licensed, failed to progress this year. Thank you to all members who made phone calls to legislators at our request. There will very likely be another attempt in the 2013 legislative session to re-introduce a bill. ABMP will continue to work with others to ensure the best possible outcome should a bill progress.

NJ update on February 29th meeting

03/30/2012

To: NJ ABMP members From: Jean Robinson, government relations director RE: February 29, 2012 Board Meeting, Board review of public comments submitted Applications for licensing are NOT available yet, and probably won’t be available until the fall at the earliest. There is no action for you to take at this time; this is simply an update.

CAMTC Eliminates Exam Options

03/30/2012

At its meeting on February 15, 2012, the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) voted to eliminate the National Exam for State Licensing (NESL), offered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, and  the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx) offered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) from the list of approved exams for the Portable G pathway to CAMTC certification. Applicants will only be able to apply for CAMTC certification by becoming certified by NCBTMB if applying by Portal G.

MI update on March 5th Public Hearing

03/19/2012

To: Michigan ABMP members From: Jean Robinson, government relations director RE: March 5, 2012 public hearing regarding the proposed administrative rules to implement massage therapy licensing. Applications for licensing are NOT available yet. They probably won’t be available until the fall at the earliest. There is no action for you to take at this time. This is simply an update.

Tennessee Legislative Update

03/15/2012

House bill 2387, the bill currently before the state legislature that previously sought to move the classification of massage therapy from the Department of Health Related Boards and place it under the Department of Commerce and Insurance, has now been amended to remove all references to the massage therapy profession.

Florida Insurance Bill Discontinues Coverage of Massage Therapy

03/14/2012

Florida House Bill 119, into which Senate Bill 1860 was merged, would reform Motor Vehicle Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance in Florida. The PIP reform bill eliminates coverage for massage therapy and acupuncture. The bill passed both houses of the Florida legislature and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Rick Scott. Scott pledged to make PIP reform his primary focus of the legislative session.

Utah Bill Would Include "non-touch" as Massage

03/09/2012

House Bill 114, Sponsored by Representative Tim Cosgrove (D-Murray), would amend the state’s Massage Therapy Act to close a perceived loophole that allows for unsavory purveyors to trade under the name of massage. The primary changes in the law would be to:
  • Remove the definition of the word “manipulation,” which is defined as “physical contact, with movement, on the clothed or unclothed body”; and

Idaho Bill Would Regulate Massage Therapists

02/03/2012

A bill, sponsored by Senator Hammond, will be introduced in the Idaho Senate early next week. If passed, the bill would require massage therapists to become licensed by the state and establish a Board of Massage Therapy to implement the process. The bill would set minimum training requirements, define a scope of practice, provide an avenue for consumer complaint, and pre-empt local regulations. Generous grandfathering requirements for current practitioners

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