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House committee rejects proposal to add state‑administered massage exam option after hours of debate
Summary
After extended testimony and debate, the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee voted down Senate Bill 168, which would have allowed Arkansas to offer a state-designed massage-therapy exam as an alternative to the national exam; opponents raised concerns about cost, test maintenance and professional standards.
Senate Bill 168, as amended, would have authorized the Arkansas Department of Health to offer a state examination as an optional pathway to licensure for massage-therapy graduates and apprentices who meet Arkansas education requirements. The sponsor, Representative Carolyn Brown (District 67), presented an amended bill that removed an emergency clause and clarified the state exam is optional and would not replace the national examination.
Supporters including Julie Eckert and massage‑therapy instructors argued the national exam (the MBLEx) is out of scope for Arkansas’s 500‑hour education requirement and that a state exam based on Arkansas educational texts would be fairer and less likely to penalize local graduates. Eckert described concerns about the national exam’s computer-adaptive format and cited…
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