Bill > SB419

This bill makes several changes to the licensing and registration requirements for massage therapists in Maryland, primarily by extending the practice rights of those currently registered and updating educational standards for new licenses. Specifically, it allows individuals registered with the State Board of Massage Therapy Examiners to continue practicing beyond October 31, 2026, by converting their registrations to licenses under board-adopted regulations, and it removes the October 31, 2026, deadline for this conversion. The bill also updates the educational requirements for obtaining a massage therapy license, increasing the required contact hours to 750 and clarifying accreditation standards for educational programs, while also establishing pathways for out-of-state applicants to meet these requirements, including supplementing insufficient contact hours with additional education or documented experience. Furthermore, it repeals obsolete qualifications for registered massage practitioners, eliminates the Board's ability to issue new registrations after October 1, 2024, and streamlines the process for administrative penalties by removing specific hearing requirements for a $100 fine for failing to report address changes. The bill also modifies reinstatement and inactive status provisions, requiring former registered massage practitioners who fail to reinstate within five years to meet current licensing requirements, and it adds a criminal history records check requirement for reactivating inactive registrations.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0419?ys=2026RS