Amendments to California AB 1822 are Expected

California is in the process of redefining the regulation of massage therapy. It is considering AB 1822 which would, if passed, severely alter the regulatory powers of the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC). AB 1822, heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 19, 2010, was referred to the suspense file until amendments to the bill could be made. ABMP expects the amendment to be drafted this week and for the Appropriations Committee to vote on Friday, May 28. Should the bill pass in committee, it will be referred to the Assembly Floor. The amendments to AB 1822 are expected to address the concerns voiced by the CAMTC and massage therapy profession. The primary benefit to becoming CAMTC certified was to provide massage therapists some financial relief from restrictive and discriminatory local ordinances and from having duplicative processes to practice in multiple locations. We expect the amendment to eliminate language in AB 1822 taking away the CAMTC authority and returning it to local municipalities to be removed from the bill, thereby preserving this benefit. In addition, we expect the amendment to include language that would clarify the scope of authority that local municipalities have to license massage establishments. Language adding two members to the CAMTC board, one member representing the Police Chief’s Association and one member representing the Sheriff’s Association, would remain in AB 1822 as currently written. ABMP will continue to provide updates as progress is made.