OPR urges registration of massage establishments in H.588 to aid anti‑trafficking enforcement

The Office of Professional Regulation told the House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee that H.588 would create an establishment registration system for massage businesses to strengthen oversight and help combat human trafficking.

"The purpose of registration is to strengthen public protection in the fight against human trafficking," Michael Warren, chief investigator at the Office of Professional Regulation, said in testimony. Warren said Vermont already regulates individual massage practitioners through registration and that H.588 would not change that system; instead, it would create a separate registration for locations where massage is practiced so regulators could target business entities suspected of trafficking or unauthorized practice.

Warren outlined three credential types OPR uses: registration (mandatory for some professions, no qualification requirement), certification (voluntary and training‑based) and licensure (qualification‑based, with education, exams and supervised practice). He argued establishment registration would allow OPR to prosecute and remove businesses engaged in unprofessional conduct. "If establishment registration were in place, the businesses themselves could be prosecuted and ultimately closed for engaging in unprofessional conduct," Warren said.

Warren told the committee that prosecuting a business for unauthorized practice or unprofessional conduct is often simpler than proving criminal human‑trafficking charges, and that criminal investigations face additional challenges such as language barriers and the fact that many people providing services in these settings are victims. He cautioned that licensure for establishments could create costly qualification requirements that would push legitimate small businesses and long‑practicing professionals out of the marketplace.

The testimony referenced prior statements to the committee from law‑enforcement witnesses, including a Vermont State Police lieutenant and several prosecutors, who described difficulties investigating trafficking in illicit massage businesses and urged better tools for holding operators accountable. Warren said OPR’s recommendation reflects that enforcement need while seeking to avoid imposing burdensome professional‑licensing requirements on individual practitioners.

Committee members asked how OPR registration would differ from the Secretary of State’s business registration. Warren answered that Secretary of State filings (LLC, corporation, sole proprietor) are a separate business‑registration process and do not provide regulatory oversight to remove a business’ ability to practice; OPR registration would be a distinct regulatory mechanism with enforcement tools unavailable through ordinary business filings.

Members also asked whether local authorities — zoning, health officers, and local police — could do more to help. Warren responded that coordination is challenging because multiple agencies have narrow enforcement roles and trafficking situations often occur quietly and involve language and cultural barriers; he recommended a coordinated, multi‑agency approach rather than a single change at the local level.

The committee did not take a formal vote on H.588 at the hearing. Members signaled they will continue to take testimony and review the bill’s draft language, including how inspections and investigatory authority would be written into the proposal.

Next steps: the committee said it will solicit further testimony on the draft language and plans to reconvene for final discussion later in the week.