04/01/2014
House File 1925 and Senate File 1792, the bills currently under consideration in the state legislature has had considerable legislative support but did not pass certain committees by deadline so the 2014 effort has failed. It is very likely that a new bill will be introduced next year. If passed, the bill would:
- Create a voluntary credential - practitioners voluntarily choosing to register would be allowed to the use the very specific title: Registered Massage and Bodywork Therapist, or RMBT.
- RMBTs would be exempted from multiple mandatory city licenses for individual therapists, which has become such a burden for so many in our field. There are well over 5,000 massage therapists in Minnesota and most practice in multiple cities and too often go through a lengthy, time-consuming and costly process in every city they wish to work in.
While the bill had tremendous support from lawmakers of all political stripes in both the House and Senate, the chair of the first House committee refused to grant HF 1925 a hearing.
ABMP recently asked our MN members to contact their state legislators to voice their support for a voluntary state massage therapist credential (Senate File 1792 and House File 1925) and to please consider adding their name as a co-author. This legislative effort is dependent on legislators hearing from their constituents.
If you would like to read the bills in question, you can find them on the state website LINKED HERE. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at nancy@abmp.com or Jean Robinson at jean@abmp.com.