House Bill 81 Proponent Testimony — Barry Sheets, Center for Christian Virtue (May 12, 2021)

Summary

Proponent testimony on House Bill 81 dated May 12, 2021, given to the House Commerce and Labor Committee by Barry Sheets of the Center for Christian Virtue (formerly Citizens for Community Values). It states the bill would provide local governments the means to better protect the health and safety of their citizenry relative to the operations of massage establishments. It describes provisions giving township government an option to craft regulations for massage establishments in unincorporated areas, providing legal penalties for failure to have appropriate licensure, and updating current registration requirements to help protect against human trafficking. The testimony says the organization looks forward to favorable passage of the bill from committee.

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House Bill 81
Proponent Testimony
May 12, 2021
House Commerce and Labor Committee
Barry Sheets, Center for Christian Virtue

Thank you Chairman Stein, Vice Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Lepore-Hagan and members of
the committee for this opportunity to share our organization’s support of House Bill 81, which would
provide local governments the means to better protect the health and safety of their citizenry relative to
the operations of massage establishments.

I am Barry Sheets, representing the Center for Christian Virtue (formerly Citizens for Community
Values) an Ohio-based nonprofit that, as part of their mission, works to ensure government stands
against threats that rob individuals of their basic human dignity, such as human trafficking.

House Bill 81 is that type of legislation. It sets up three major provisions in law: providing township
government with an option to craft regulations governing the operation (zoning, hours of operation,
health/safety/welfare) of massage establishments locating in the unincorporated areas of the township,
providing legal penalties for failure to have appropriate licensure to perform massage services at
establishments in these areas, and updating current registration requirements to help protect against
human trafficking.

There are numerous media reports regarding the issues that surround the “relaxation”-style massage
parlors. A cursory review shows a number of such establishments having employees being charged
with prostitution, soliciting, or even human trafficking operations as individuals being trafficked are
moved in and out of these establishments with relative ease, as there is little in the way of paperwork or
licensure to track to determine if the individual is a legitimate employee or a victim of trafficking.

These types of establishments differ greatly from those offering therapeutic, or medical, massage
services, which focus on health-related issues such as back pain, tendinitis, and sports injuries, and are
provided in a clinical setting. Therapeutic establishments hire individuals who are licensed or are
training to seek licensure by the state in their area of expertise. Individuals wishing to provide
therapeutic massage in Ohio must be licensed by the state Medical Board, or one of the boards
regulating their profession if their scope of practice includes the use of massage techniques.

This is not the case in the majority of the “relaxation” massage establishments. Often, there is little to
no training and certainly no licensure. Also, the types of massage services in many “relaxation” spa-
type settings include, or are negotiated between the masseuse and the client to include, sexual
gratification services--commonly known as prostitution or paying for a sexual encounter. A number of
media reports include undercover officers being offered sexual services by the individuals working in
these establishments.

As municipalities are more closely investigating and regulating the operations of these establishments,
they seek to move to locations where such close inspection or regulation doesn’t currently exist: the
unincorporated areas of townships. Our township governments need the tools that House Bill 81
provides in order to combat a growing problem.

The bill’s provisions to clearly establish proper licensure requirements for individuals seeking to work
in such establishments is another means to root out the illegal practices and fronts for human trafficking
operations, and provide both workers and clients with re-assurance that the facility is above-board and
that the personnel have adequate training and certifications to do an appropriate and effective
therapeutic massage.

We look forward to the favorable passage of House Bill 81 from committee, and I would be happy to
take any questions you may have.


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