Massage Therapy Journal Spring 2024

12 • Massage Therapy Journal

Advocate Advancing the Massage Therapy Profession Advocacy

Year in Review

Marciobnws / shutterstock.com

A MTA advocates for issues that matter to massage therapists across the country at the federal, state and local levels of government. Through our advocacy work, we strive to enhance the reputation and acceptance of massage therapy and the crucial role of professional massage therapists in health and wellness. From championing massage licensure to advancing legislation on massage for pain, and helping veterans gain better access to massage— here are just a few of AMTA’s important efforts on behalf of the massage therapy profession in 2023! therapists in all 50 states across the country. Legal recognition of massage therapy and clearly defined requirements will help advance the profession as well as protect the health and safety of massage consumers. Kansas and Minnesota, two of the remaining unlicensed states, continued to be a top priority for AMTA in 2023. • AMTA advocated in Kansas for the passage of Senate Bill 305, which would establish a massage therapy board under the healing arts in the state. This bill includes language that would allow all current massage therapists to easily obtain a state license. Unfortunately, the bill ran out of time during a very busy legislative AMTA Continues to Champion Massage Licensure in All 50 States AMTA is committed to helping champion licensure for massage

Check out AMTA’s 2023 top advocacy efforts on behalf of the massage therapy profession

session. AMTA continues to work with key leadership in Kansas who support this bill. • AMTA worked with Minnesota on Senate File 967 and House File 973, which were companion bills to establish state licensure for massage therapists as well as Asian bodywork therapists. These bills were held up due to other priorities in the legislature, and were deferred until this year. AMTA continues to make strides on this effort by building our stakeholder support and communicating the value of licensure for massage therapists in the state. AMTA Helps Advance Massage for Pain for pain management. We provided input for bills related to the study of alternative treatments for chronic pain, removing barriers to non-opioid pain management, and requiring insurers to cover alternative treatment options. Two important examples of these pain management bills include: 1. Senate Bill 1272 in Massachusetts would direct the Massachusetts Department of Health to develop and publish an educational pamphlet regarding non-opioid alternatives for the treatment of pain, including non pharmacological therapies. AMTA submitted a letter to the Joint Committee on Mental Management Legislation AMTA monitored 145 bills during the 2023 legislative session related to non-pharmacological approaches

amtamassage.org/mtj