Committee clears bill to exempt Pilates and barre teacher trainings from occupational regulation

Sponsors presented Senate Bill 173 as an update to prior deregulation of yoga teacher training, proposing that Pilates and barre teacher training programs be treated the same way and not be regulated under the Division of Private Occupational Schools. Representatives said the current regulatory threshold (programs costing more than $1,000 and longer than 40 hours) forced some providers to shorten curriculum to avoid paperwork and bonds.

Multiple studio owners testified that their comprehensive programs are 500‑hour trainings that include supervised practice and clinical work; owners said they had received cease‑and‑desist letters and that complying with DPOS requirements would cost thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of administrative work. Witnesses told the committee those effects had led programs to cut hours (from 500 to under 40) or send trainees out of state. They asked lawmakers to treat Pilates and barre like yoga, which was deregulated earlier and — they said — has sustained professional standards through market and association oversight.

Committee members had light procedural questions and some levity about demonstrations; the Department of Higher Education (which oversees DPOS) is recorded as supporting the bill. The committee voted unanimously to move SB 173 to the Committee of the Whole.

The committee record notes sponsors’ view that the bill reduces regulatory burden on small businesses and preserves local training pipelines for instructors. The bill will continue in committee process.