In January, the legislature introduced House Bill 2612 (HB 2612), which would increase Virginia’s massage therapy minimum-required education hours from 500 to 625.
Of the 48 states that offer a massage therapy license, certification, or registration, more than 65 percent mandate a minimum-hour requirement of at least 600 hours. Increasing minimum-hour requirements aligns Virginia with a majority of the country and reduces red tape when massage therapists want to move and need to transfer their licenses.
An increase in educational hours will be especially important with the advent of House Bill 2448, known as the Interstate Massage Compact (IMpact). You may remember receiving an email from ABMP earlier this year in which we discuss Virginia’s interest in simplifying interstate massage therapy practice by joining other participating states and creating a multistate licensing program. To be a member of the IMpact, states must have a minimum-education requirement of 625 hours.
ABMP supports HB 2612 and submitted a letter of support to the Virginia legislature ahead of a committee meeting. We encourage you to contact your representatives and urge them to support an increase in massage therapy minimum-hour requirements. You can use our letter as a guide and add your personal story when emailing your elected officials. Together, let’s elevate the profession and bolster Virginia’s massage training to align with the national average.
Psst . . . for a refresher about the IMpact, check out our legislative blog!