Oregon

HB 2059 is currently moving through the Oregon State Legislature. The bill amends and creates new provisions for health regulatory boards, including the Oregon Board of Massage Therapy (OBMT). This seemingly innocuous bill turned much less so on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, when the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) proposed an amendment that would require the OBMT to accept their national certification exams. The amendment (HB 2059-A7) reads as follows:

The Oregon Board of Massage Therapy is now requiring the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx) offered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB: www.fsmtb.org) as a qualification for licensure. A rules hearing will be held on August 22, 2008 at 9 a.m. by the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists, 748 Hawthorne Avenue NE, Salem OR 97306