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Committee hears interstate compact to ease licensure for massage therapists
Summary
Senate Bill 233 would join Montana to the Massage Therapy Interstate Compact, allowing multistate practice privileges for qualified massage therapists. Supporters said the compact would help military spouses and seasonal employers; the Department of Labor cited a small IT cost to implement. No committee vote was taken.
The House Business and Labor Committee heard Senate Bill 233 on March 17, a measure that would allow Montana to join the Massage Therapy Interstate Compact and enable qualified massage therapists from compact states to practice in Montana under a multistate privilege.
Sponsor Willis Curdy described the bill as standard compact language drafted by the Council of State Governments and said the compact helps mobile practitioners — including military spouses — work across state lines. Proponents — including practitioners, the Department of Labor and Industry and the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards — told the committee the compact would ease paperwork, aid seasonal and resort employers, and preserve state authority to discipline practitioners who violate local laws.
Supporters acknowledged a difference between the compact’s model requirement of 625 education hours and Montana’s current 500‑hour standard for licensure. Deborah Kimmerer and others said the compact’s rules and the commission would address equivalency and grandfathering. Commissioner Sarah Swanson of the Department of Labor and Industry said registered apprenticeship and continuing‑education pathways can close that hours gap for many Montana licensees.
The department provided a fiscal estimate: Swanson said the licensing system would require roughly 109 hours of programming work, an internal cost the department estimated at about $13,080. The fingerprint‑based background check required by the compact would be paid by individual applicants, she said.
Proponents argued the compact would help fill persistent staffing gaps in spas, resorts and multi‑therapist practices and highlighted recruitment challenges: "More than half of the spas report problems recruiting any massage therapist," a proponent said, citing industry data. Supporters urged a do‑pass recommendation, saying the compact preserves Montana’s authority over licensing and discipline while improving mobility for practitioners.
No opponents spoke. Committee members asked about which states have enacted the compact legislation; testimony listed Arkansas and previously enacted states, with bills pending or active in a number of others. The committee did not take a vote at the hearing.
Why it matters: Advocates said the compact will help address a tight therapist labor market, enable seasonal employers to hire qualified practitioners faster and reduce administrative burden for licensees who work in multiple states.
