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Sponsor Testimony - House Bill 81, Massage Therapy Licensing (February 17th, 2021)

Summary

Sponsor testimony on House Bill 81 from Representatives Susan Manchester and Phil Plummer, dated February 17th, 2021, addressed to Chairman Stein and the committee. The testimony says the bill will update and make changes to massage therapy licensing law and lists organizations that support it, including the Ohio Township Association and the American Massage Therapy Association - Ohio Chapter. It describes a loophole under which non-licensed individuals perform massage without meeting the requirements prescribed by the State Medical Board, and says the bill aims to close that loophole. It also says the bill will assist with the prevention of human trafficking and prostitution and will clarify townships' ability to regulate massage establishments.

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“Sponsor Testimony - House Bill 81, Massage Therapy Licensing (February 17th, 2021).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2021-02-17-commerce-labor-testimony-hb81sponsorplummermanchester-105092b0ac/, SHA-256 5f4d5dd6449eb0628a7fd770861c25735f47a34ecc6d671d92a8ae961675c5f5.

Full text

                            Representative Susan Manchester
                               Representative Phil Plummer
                                Sponsor Testimony: House Bill 81
                                       February 17th, 2021

Good afternoon Chairman Stein, Vice Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Lepore-Hagan, and
Members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of House Bill
81, which will update and make changes to massage therapy licensing law. This legislation is
supported by numerous organizations including the Ohio Township Association, American
Massage Therapy Association - Ohio Chapter, Abolition Ohio, and Citizens for Community
Values.
Currently, Ohio is the only state that requires a license for massage therapy, while also allowing
massage to be performed without a license. This is the result of a loophole in Ohio law that
House Bill 81 aims to address. The present loophole enables non-licensed individuals to
perform massage, as long as they do not call it “massage therapy” or advertise their practices as
“medical” or “therapeutic massage”. These non-licensed individuals are performing the same
techniques as licensed massage therapists, but do not have to meet the educational and safety
requirements prescribed by the State Medical Board. House Bill 81’s purpose is to close this
loophole, ensuring uniform licensure and safety across our state.
Additionally, House Bill 81 will assist with the prevention of human trafficking and prostitution
throughout our state. Non-licensed individuals have been taking advantage of this licensing
loophole to open establishments they refer to as “relaxation massage” or “Asian massage”,
which serve as fronts for human trafficking and prostitution. By closing the current licensing
loophole, the State Medical Board will finally have the ability to inspect these establishments
and ensure they are not being used for illegal activity. House Bill 81 ensures the Board will also
be able to refer bad actors and their establishments to local law enforcement, enabling them to
root out those who are taking advantage of the massage profession for illegal activities.
This bill also clarifies and modernizes our townships’ ability to regulate massage establishments
and gives them the same regulatory authority as cities under Ohio’s “home rule” amendment in
our state constitution. House Bill 81 further clarifies that if a township chooses to regulate
massage establishments, those regulations must require all practitioners to hold a license
through the State Medical Board.
House Bill 81’s purpose is to streamline the State Medical Board, law enforcement, and our
townships’ abilities to hold bad actors accountable. Ohio has one of the highest human
trafficking rates in the country, and the current licensing loophole is furthering the ability of
these illegal establishments to take advantage of vulnerable individuals in our communities.

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