Committee advances HB 3819A expanding massage-therapy board powers and penalties

The Senate Committee on Judiciary on May 14 voted to move House Bill 3819A to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. Committee staff summarized that the bill amends ORS chapters governing licensure and oversight of massage therapists to add temporary practice permits, increase civil penalties, permit posting of enforcement placards at noncompliant facilities, raise criminal penalties in repeat-offender cases and add massage therapists to the list of mandatory reporters.

Specifically, the bill authorizes the State Board of Massage Therapists to issue a temporary practice permit to individuals authorized to practice massage in another jurisdiction for up to 180 days, increases maximum civil penalties from $1,000 to $5,000, allows the board to post a placard on massage facilities that violate licensure requirements and penalize unauthorized removal of the placard, and increases criminal classification for a second offense of operating a massage facility without licensure from a class A misdemeanor to a class C felony. The bill also designates massage therapists as mandatory reporters. The bill’s effective date provisions were described as taking effect 91 days after the legislature adjourns with operative provisions beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Senator Thatcher moved the bill to the floor; there was no substantive debate recorded in the committee and the roll call showed the motion carried. Senator Taylor agreed to be the floor carrier; Senator Manning was listed as an alternate if Taylor is unavailable.