Oregon SB 298, discussed in our previous Legislative Update, was signed into law by Governor Brown on June 18, 2015, with certain important changes over the original version of the bill.
In general, the new law regulates massage and bodywork practitioners in same manner as current law with a few changes; changes which should have little effect on current Oregon licensees. The new law goes into effect January 1, 2016.
Most importantly, applicants for a massage and bodywork licenses will be required to complete 625 hours of massage and/or bodywork education. Until now, massage license applicants were required to have completed 500 hours of education. The initial draft of the bill had proposed a 750 hour educational requirement.
The new law adds the term “bodywork” to the definition of “massage” and “massage therapy”. It is unclear what the intention was behind this addition.
(4)(a) “Massage,” [or] “massage therapy” or “bodywork” means the use of pressure, friction, stroking, tapping or kneading on the human body, or the use of vibration or stretching on the human body by manual or mechanical means or gymnastics, with or without appliances such as vibrators, infrared heat, sun lamps or external baths, and with or without lubricants such as salts, powders, liquids or creams, for the purpose of, but not limited to, maintaining good health and establishing and maintaining good physical condition.
In addition, the law states that the definitions of “massage," "massage therapy" and "bodywork" “do not include the use of high velocity, short-amplitude manipulative thrusting procedures to the articulations of the spine or extremities.”
The Oregon Board of Massage Therapists (Board) will begin discussing implementation of the new law at its July 20, 2015 meeting. We will keep you informed.
Please contact ABMP’s Government Relations Coordinator, Nancy Potter, at nancy@abmp.com with questions you may have about the new law.