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House concurs with Senate changes to massage-therapy bill after clarifying inspections and licensing
Summary
The House on March 5 concurred with Senate amendments to fourth substitute House Bill 278, a package of massage-therapy regulatory changes. The chamber debated licensing pathways, background checks and inspection authority for the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL). The bill passed final passage 75-0.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House on March 5 agreed to Senate amendments to fourth substitute House Bill 278, a package of changes to massage-therapy regulation that sponsors and industry representatives said resolves long-running disagreements.
Representative Thurston, the bill sponsor, told the House he spent “quality time speaking with folks from the massage therapy industry” and that the current version reflects an industry consensus. “This bill still prevents human trafficking in the way that we always thought it would,” Thurston said, and he described the Senate edits as “cleanup language regarding inspections and the licensing process.”
Members questioned what the revisions mean for local authority. Representative Wilcox asked, “So DOPL still has authority to do the inspections. What does that leave for our local jurisdictions?” Thurston replied that the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing can enforce registration and conduct establishment-level inspections and that local law enforcement retains its authorities. “If DOPL does find violations that concern them, they will immediately notify local law enforcement that there is a suspicion of criminal activity,” Thurston said.
The House floor exchange also addressed licensure pathways. Thurston said the earlier-created category of “registered massage practitioners” was removed from the bill after stakeholders concluded it was too problematic to implement this session; practitioners now must be licensed as licensed massage therapists, licensed massage assistants, or as students/apprentices under existing pathways.
Sponsors said national and local industry associations, including the American Massage Therapy Association, supported the revised bill. The House concurred with the Senate amendments and passed the bill by a recorded vote of 75 yes, 0 no; the measure will be transmitted to the Senate for the president’s signature.
