MASSAGE THERAPIST EDUCATION H.B. 5001 (H-1):
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 5001 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Dan Lauwers
House Committee: Regulatory Reform
Senate Committee: Health Policy
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to do the following with respect to the licensure of massage therapists:
-- Increase from 500 to 625 the minimum number of hours of classroom instruction, or hours of education in an out-of-State program.
-- Delete the requirement for a high school diploma or its equivalent.
The Code requires the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, upon receiving a completed application and the appropriate fee, to issue a massage therapist license to an individual if he or she meets various criteria. These include a requirement that the applicant has successfully completed one of the following:
-- A supervised curriculum in a school that has at least 500 hours of classroom instruction.
-- At least 500 hours of course and clinical massage education in a substantially equivalent program in another state, country, jurisdiction, territory, or province that, on a case-by-case basis, is found by the Michigan Board of Massage Therapy to be sufficient.
The bill would increase the minimum number of hours to 625 for an applicant who enrolled in the school or program on or after August 1, 2016.
The licensure criteria also include a requirement that the applicant has a high school diploma or the equivalent, as determined by the Board. The bill would delete that requirement.
The bill would take effect 90 days after enactment.
MCL 333.17959 Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.