Bill Reauthorizing CO Massage Law Moves through State Legislature

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Colorado Senate Bill 151 was approved by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on February 13, 2013. The bill now goes to the Appropriations Committee for review. If passed, the bill will extend the Colorado Massage Therapy Practice Act, the law that regulates massage therapists in Colorado, until 2022. SB 151 does not make any drastic changes to the existing massage law. The requirements for licensure will be the same as they have been for registration: 500 hours of massage therapy education, passage of a national massage exam, successful completion of a background check, and adequate liability insurance. The bill does not impose any continuing education requirement. However, SB 151 does include a title change for the profession. Under the new law, massage therapists would be required to obtain a “license,â€￾ instead of a “registration,â€￾ in order to practice, and therefore would be titled as Licensed Massage Therapists (LMT’s) instead of Registered Massage Therapists (RMT’s). This title is consistent with the rest of the country and we believe it will mean more to consumers. The bill also updates the grounds for discipline, streamlines the process for applicants who attended out-of-state schools, and specifies that applicants who have been denied a license must wait two years to re-apply. ABMP supports SB 151 and has been actively working for its passage. We will keep you apprised of the status of the bill.

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