MASSAGE THERAPIST LICENSING

House Bill 5001 (passed by the House as H-1)

Sponsor:  Rep. Dan Lauwers

Committee:  Regulatory Reform

Complete to 1-22-16

BRIEF SUMMARY:    House Bill 5001 would increase educational requirements for licensure as a massage therapist. The bill would take effect 90 days after it is enacted into law.

FISCAL IMPACT:      House Bill 5001 (H-1) would have no fiscal impact on the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

THE CONTENT OF THE BILL:

The bill would amend Section 17959 of the Public Health Code (MCL 333.17959) to specify that an individual enrolled in a massage education program on or after August 1, 2016, would need to complete at least 625 hours of classroom instruction as part of the program; until then the current 500-hour requirement would remain in place.  

The same hours requirements would apply to an individual who completed an acceptable "substantially equivalent program" outside of Michigan. The bill also would strike a current requirement that to be licensed as a massage therapist an individual must have a high school diploma or equivalent.

DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND:

According to testimony presented in committee, the number of hours required for licensure as a massage therapist in Michigan are among the lowest of the states that license massage therapists. To remedy this, the bill raises the number of hours that an individual must complete in a program in order to meet the licensing requirements.

Presently in Michigan, an individual must either complete a supervised curriculum in a school massage education program that has at least 500 hours of classroom instruction OR complete at least 500 hours of course and clinical massage education in a substantially equivalent program in another state, county, jurisdiction, territory, or providence that, on a case-by-case basis, is found by the Michigan board of massage therapy to be sufficient.

POSITIONS:

The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs supported the H-1 substitute (12-9-15)

The American Massage Therapy Association supported the bill as introduced (12-2-15)

                                                                                         Legislative Analyst:   Josh Roesner

                                                                                                 Fiscal Analyst:   Paul B.A. Holland

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.