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House keeps regulation of massage industry, adds owner screening to fight trafficking
Summary
First substitute HB278 tasks a licensing review and tightens rules that focus on establishment owners — including background checks and fingerprints — to address human trafficking and illicit activity in massage businesses; the House passed the bill 68-0.
The Utah House on Feb. 20 passed first substitute House Bill 278, a change to the massage-therapy regulatory framework that sponsors said targets illicit activity in certain establishments while aiming to preserve legitimate massage practices.
Representative Ty Thurston, sponsor, said the Office of Professional Licensure and Regulation (OPLR) conducted a review that found trafficking and illicit commercial sexual activity in some parts of the massage environment. Thurston said the bill focuses regulatory attention on owners rather than individual practitioners: measures include requiring owners or establishment operators to register and undergo background checks and fingerprinting so regulators and law enforcement can identify responsible parties if violations occur.
Thurston said the measure also contains provisions to "right-size" supervision and training requirements for legitimate practitioners. He told the House the legislation is designed to give law enforcement tools to pursue owners who obscure identities to avoid accountability.
Representative Thurston and other backers said the bill was the result of OPLR review and stakeholder input; the House adopted the first substitute with no recorded opposition and the bill will be sent to the Senate for further consideration.
