Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania State Board of Massage Therapy has been appointed and held its first meeting on August 5, 2009. The board, named below, is charged with the responsibility of writing the rules and regulations to implement the law. ABMP will keep members informed of the progress the board makes and when applications become available.

The board members are:

There is no formal application process offered by the governor's office. In Pennsylvania, the first step is to contact your state representative and/or state senator and let them know you are a constituent interested in being appointed to the new massage therapy board and you would like their help. They should know the process for submitting your name to the governor's office.

House Bill 2499, a legislative proposal to license massage therapists, was signed into law by Governor Rendell yesterday. The law requires the governor to appoint a regulatory board to implement the law. The board will consist of six massage therapists, two members of the public, and three representatives from different government departments. ABMP will inform members when the governor begins accepting applications to be appointed to the board. The board will have the responsibility of writing rules and regulations to implement the law, including an application process.

House Bill 2499, a legislative proposal to license massage therapists, passed the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee by a vote of 12-2 on Wednesday, September 17. The bill still has to clear several hurdles before passing, including votes on the Senate floor, Appropriations, then a vote in the House to concur with Senate amendments.

House Bill 2499, sponsored by Representative McCall, passed through the House of Representatives on June 24, 2008. The bill will now be heard in the Senate. HB 2499 would require a state license to practice massage therapy and establish a State Board of Massage Therapy to implement the law.

House bill 2499, sponsored by Representative McCall, was introduced, amended, and subsequently passed the Committee on Professional Licensure amended on June 11, 2008 and the Appropriations Committee on June 17, 2008. The bill would require a state license to practice massage therapy and establish a State Board of Massage Therapy to implement the law.

House bill 2499, sponsored by Representative McCall, has been introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and was referred to the Committee on Professional Licensure on May 13, 2008. The bill would require a state license to practice massage therapy and establish a State Board of Massage Therapy to implement the law.

Pennsylvania Legislative Survey Results

A bill seeking the state licensure of massage therapists has been attempted for the past several years in Pennsylvania. Although no bill has been attempted so far in 2007, ABMP has been seeking feedback so that we will best represent our members if one is introduced in the future. In August 2007, ABMP e-mailed a legislative survey to 2181 Pennsylvania members; as of October 11, 2007, 24% were returned. Thank you to those who responded to the survey.