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OPR tells committee it will seek registration for massage establishments after rise in assault and trafficking complaints
Summary
Deputy Secretary of State Lauren Tibbitt told the Senate Committee on Government Operations that the Office of Professional Regulation is likely to recommend registration of massage therapy establishments rather than licensure, citing higher complaint volumes and serious allegations that emerged after regulation began in 2021.
The Senate Committee on Government Operations reviewed language attached to the OPR bill and heard from Deputy Secretary of State Lauren Tibbitt on OPR's recommendation to move toward registration of massage therapy establishments.
Lauren Tibbitt, deputy secretary of state, told the committee that OPR is "unlikely to recommend licensure of massage therapy establishments" this session but is likely to ask the legislature to require registration of establishments. She said the office is seeking nine months to prepare legislative language and a plan to bring back next year.
Tibbitt cited enforcement data collected since regulation began in June 2021: OPR has received 81 complaints about massage practitioners and opened 46 investigations; by contrast, physical therapists had 22 complaints and roughly 17 investigations in the same period. "We prosecuted 12…
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