Signed by Governor Butch Otter

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires massage therapists to be licensed by the state, effective July 1, 2012.

Highlights:

• Establishes the Board of Massage Therapy to determine the qualifications of persons applying for licensure (Sec. 1).

• Requires massage therapists to be licensed by the Board of Massage Therapy (Sec. 1).

• Requires persons applying for licensure to meet the following requirements (Sec. 1):
• Have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• Be at least 18 years old;
• Have good moral character;
• Have completed a massage program consisting of 500 hours of coursework; and
• Have passed a national competency examination in massage therapy approved by the Board of Massage Therapy.

• Prohibits massage therapists from performing the following (Sec. 1):
• Diagnosis of injury, illness, or disease;
• Chiropractic adjustments or skeletal manipulative procedures;
• Therapeutic exercises such as, but not limited to, the use of medically classified therapeutic devices, mechanical traction, laser and light therapies, electrical stimulation, or application of ultrasound; and
• Dispensing prescriptions for pharmaceutical agents.

• Specifies that any person convicted of violating any of the above provisions to be guilty of a misdemeanor (Sec.1).

Full Bill Text