Maryland House Bill 818 and Senate Bill 915, both recently introduced in the state legislature, propose to increase the number of hours that an applicant for licensure must complete in a Board-approved massage program from 500 hours to 600 hours. The bills also would add kinesiology to the content areas that must be included in those 600 hours.
ABMP opposes any increase in the required educational hours or content areas without justification for such a change. There are already considerable inconsistencies in the Maryland law regulating massage therapists that make reciprocity very difficult. Adding to those obstacles for no apparent reason is unacceptable.
The bills have been withdrawn so no additional action will take place in 2013.
State