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Vermont committee hears testimony for and against licensing massage therapists amid trafficking, safety concerns
Summary
The Government Operations & Military Affairs committee heard extensive testimony on H.588 about licensing massage therapists and establishments, with advocates citing public safety and training standards and an anti‑trafficking group urging against enforcement that criminalizes vulnerable workers.
Advocates for licensing massage therapists told the Government Operations & Military Affairs committee that Vermont’s lack of educational standards leaves clients and practitioners at risk, while an anti‑trafficking advocate warned that punitive enforcement could harm vulnerable workers rather than reduce trafficking.
Henry Banks, cofounder and co‑director of the ASR Collective, told the committee that "additional criminalization of unlicensed massage work does not reduce trafficking and can, in fact, worsen conditions for those vulnerable workers caught in the crossfire." He urged rights‑based responses such as expanded access to housing, culturally competent…
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