Senate committee approves bill to join interstate massage-therapy compact

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 professions and would “offer different compacts” to give therapists mobility and preserve income when they move for work or disaster response. Patty Glenn, representing the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, said the compact could be stood up without major new infrastructure costs because the regulatory community already provides much of the needed systems.

Committee members pressed for details about cost and governance. Committee discussion recorded a fiscal estimate of roughly $15,000 in initial administrative costs and about $6,000 annually for commission operations; Glenn told senators the multistate license fee itself would be set by the compact commission and historically similar compacts have charged licensees roughly 1.5 to 2 times the standard single‑state exam fee. Committee testimony estimated a typical Arkansas licensee’s multistate fee might range from about $120 to $160, versus about $80 for current single‑state licensing exam costs.

Glenn also said two states — Ohio and Nevada — had already enacted compact legislation and nine states had bills filed. The bill’s backers said they expected multistate licenses to be issued only after the compact’s rules are promulgated, with an operational timeline that could place issuance in late 2026 or early 2027.

Supporters emphasized public‑safety benefits of shared licensing data. Representative Nazarinko and other witnesses said the compact includes a national registry of licensees and reported disciplinary actions that states can access. “This is a state registry owned by the regulatory boards,” Glenn said, and Arkansas would retain authority to act on any licensee in Arkansas.

Public testimony included Ashley Smith, a Little Rock massage therapist and business owner, who said, “I support this bill because this will help ensure military families, their spouses to keep massaging in the state if they were required to move to Arkansas.” Several senators raised governance questions — including whether Arkansas would have a place on the compact’s executive board — and were told that the first seven states to adopt the compact shape its initial rules and executive committee.

On formal action, Senator Hammer moved to pass the bill and Senator Tucker seconded; the committee approved the measure by voice vote.

The bill package includes an explicit withdrawal mechanism. Committee discussion cited a subparagraph modeled on prior interstate‑compact language that requires state legislative action (the Arkansas Legislative Council and the General Assembly) for a formal withdrawal from the compact.

What’s next: With committee approval, the bill proceeds to the Senate floor for further consideration.

Ending: Proponents said the compact is intended to increase workforce mobility and improve regulatory information sharing; opponents and some committee members asked for additional clarity on costs, fee-setting and how Arkansas would participate in rulemaking once the compact is established.