We've previously let you know that Delaware House Bill 35 is proposing to mandate massage establishment licensing in the state of Delaware. The bill would require massage businesses to hold a separate massage establishment license in addition to a general business license, and in addition to individual state licensure for the therapists working in the business.
ABMP opposes the bill, which passed in the House and is coming up for a hearing in the Senate. We urge you to contact your state senators to voice your opposition.The bill is an attempt to address illegal activities such as human trafficking, but will have little impact on those activities and will only serve to burden legitimate practitioners with even more fees and licensing hurdles. We are urging the legislature to strengthen the state's criminal code to address human trafficking instead of attempting to address the problem by increasing the regulation of legitimate practitioners. Click here to read ABMP's formal opposition to HB 35 setting forth the reasons why we oppose this bill.
Click here to locate your state senator and find his or her contact information. If you can, please contact following key senators on the bill as well: Senators McDowell, Lavelle, Delcollo, Ennis, Poore, Richardson, Walsh, Hanson, Sokola, Pettyjohn and Richardson. You can find their contact information here.