HB 1419 -- MASSAGE THERAPISTS

SPONSOR:  Portwood

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass by consent" by the Special
Committee on Professional Registration and Licensing by a vote of
8 to 0.

This bill changes the laws regarding the licensing of massage
therapists.  In its main provisions, the bill:

(1)  Requires applicants to be of good moral character;

(2)  Requires completion of a program of massage therapy studies
as defined by the Board of Therapeutic Massage;

(3)  Requires that all massage therapy instruction be supervised;

(4)  Allows a person completing a massage therapy program of less
than 500 hours of supervised instruction to submit an application
for licensure and requires the board to establish the
requirements to be completed prior to being issued a license; and

(5)  Allows for the extension of a provisional license.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds in FY 2009, FY 2010, and
FY 2011.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill expands the Massage
Therapy Practice Act in order to provide more supervised
instruction and provisional licenses.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Portwood; Board of
Therapeutic Massage; and Esteban Ruvalcaba, American Massage
Therapy Association.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated October 15, 2008 at 3:10 pm