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Minutes for SB531 - Committee on Public Health and Welfare
Short Title
Enacting the massage therapist licensure act to provide for regulation and licensing of massage therapists.
Minutes Content for Tue, Mar 15, 2022
Chairperson Hilderbrand opened the hearing on SB531.
Jenna Moyer, Staff Revisor gave an overview of the bill. She took questions from committee members.
Christine Hobber, on behalf of James Specker, AMTA Director, spoke as a proponent. She stated that SB531 would result in a uniform scope of practice, place Kansas on par with neighboring states and could also reduce the administrative and financial burdens massage therapists currently face from the patchwork of regulations requiring them to comply with multiple city ordinances and regulations across the state. (Attachment 1)
She answered questions from committee members.
Written only, proponent testimony was submitted by:
Holly Krebs, Structural Integration Practitioner (Attachment 2)
Alicia Chance, Massage Therapist (Attachment 3)
Written only, neutral testimony was submitted by:
Jennifer Montgomery, Chair of the Human Trafficking Advisory Board (Attachment 4)
Travis Oller, Executive Director, Kansas Chiropractic Association (Attachment 5)
Ed Klumpp gave opponent testimony. He said the associations he represents are not opposed to licensure of massage therapists, but are opposed to several provisions in SB531. He said the bill should include sufficient provisions that address massage businesses as a front to human trafficking or other illegal activities and also provide investigative aids to law enforcement. He stated that SB531 needs additional work if it is going to be an effective replacement for local licensing programs currently in place and he opposed any preemption of local licensing unless a state licensing program replaces all the tools of the local licensing processes. (Attachment 6)
John Goodyear testified as an opponent stating that his opposition stems from the preemption in Section 13 of the bill. If SB531 passes, cities would be prohibited from passing or maintaining regulations that have been helpful in protecting their community. (Attachment 7)
Jon Lueth spoke in opposition of SB531 stating that the new licensing requirements in the bill are an undue burden on those seeking to enter the profession as well as customers. (Attachment 8)
They took questions from committee members.
Written only, opponent testimony was submitted by:
Alison Dishinger, Massage Therapist (Attachment 9)
Kerry Hagner, Massage Therapist (Attachment 10)
Chairperson Hilderbrand closed the hearing on SB531.
