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Senate committee approves bill to join interstate massage-therapy compact
Summary
A Senate committee voted to pass a bill authorizing Arkansas to join the Massage Therapy Licensure Compact, allowing qualified therapists to hold a multistate license. The measure includes rulemaking by the first member states, estimated initial administrative costs and a withdrawal path for the state legislature.
A Senate committee on Monday voted to pass House Bill 1217, authorizing Arkansas to join the Massage Therapy Licensure Compact and allowing qualifying massage therapists to hold a multistate license usable in other compact member states.
The compact sets up a commission of member states to promulgate rules; the first seven states that adopt the compact will make up the executive board that initially frames operations and fees. Patty Glenn of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards told the committee the compact’s infrastructure has been prebuilt by the regulatory community, which reduces upfront database costs.
Why it matters: Supporters said the compact would increase mobility for therapists, help military families and create a national licensing registry that regulators could use to learn about disciplinary actions taken in other states.
Representative Nazarinko, who introduced the bill, said the compact is modeled on similar recent interstate agreements for other…
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