Wisconsin 2007 Legislative Survey Results and Next Steps for ABMP Members
In July 2007, at the request of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA)-Wisconsin Chapter, ABMP mailed a short legislative survey to Wisconsin members. The intent of the survey was to gauge the massage therapy community's interest in pursuing state licensure. The current law offers state certification with title protection only.
A total of 3810 surveys were sent out to practitioners who are Wisconsin state certified or belong to one of the following associations: ABMP, AMTA-WI Chapter, or American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA). Because 64% of respondents favored licensing, the AMTA-WI Chapter has decided to pursue a change in the law from title protection to a practice act, which is state licensing, in the 2009-2010 legislation session.
ABMP members, however, were much more evenly split in their support of licensing. Of the 1600 ABMP surveys mailed out, 527 (33%) were returned. Fifty percent (50%) favored licensing, 40% did not favor licensing, and 10% were undecided. In the next few months, ABMP will conduct a more thorough survey of members via e-mail to determine concerns so that ABMP can more effectively advocate our Wisconsin members priorities.
Your feedback is important. Please watch your e-mail and respond to future messages about licensing for massage therapists in Wisconsin.