Bill > HB3262

This bill establishes the "Interstate Massage Compact," a framework designed to streamline the licensing and regulation of massage therapists across participating states, known as "Member States." The primary goals are to increase public access to massage therapy services, enhance safety, prevent fraud and human trafficking, and support military members and their spouses by allowing licensed massage therapists to practice in multiple states with a single "Multistate License." This license is issued by a therapist's "Home State" (their primary state of residence) and grants "Authorization to Practice" in other "Remote States" that are part of the compact. The compact creates an "Interstate Massage Compact Commission" to oversee its implementation and administration, which will develop rules and maintain a shared database of licensee information. To join the compact, states must meet certain criteria, including licensing and regulating massage therapy, accepting a national licensing exam, and having continuing competence requirements. The bill also outlines qualifications for obtaining a Multistate License, including education, examination, and background checks, and specifies how disciplinary actions and investigations will be handled between Member States, with the Home State retaining primary authority over the Multistate License. Importantly, the compact does not prevent any state from enforcing its own laws regarding massage therapy practice, nor does it limit a state's ability to take disciplinary action against a license issued solely within that state.