On July 30, 2026, ABMP Director of Government Relations Laura Puryear submitted a letter to the California Senate Appropriations Committee opposing Assembly Bill 1703. Below are ABMP's comments in full.
Senators,
I write on behalf of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), a professional membership association representing over 9,000 massage therapists in California alone.
We urge you to amend AB 1703, which modifies the practice act related to osteopathic physicians and surgeons, to clarify that the continued practice of massage therapy does not conflict with the newly defined scope of osteopathic medicine.
In the bill language, “osteopathic manipulation” is added to the list of practices guarded by title protection for osteopathic physicians and surgeons. However, this could be interpreted as encroachment on the legal scope of other health and wellness professionals, including massage therapists. We would instead encourage language that either omits the inclusion of “osteopathic manipulation,” or includes language that clearly states that the bill in no way is intended to interfere with the lawful practice of massage therapy in California.
The definition of massage in California code is quite broad. Chapter 10.5 of the Massage Therapy Practice Act defines it as, “scientific manipulation of the soft tissues.” Obviously, with so little clarity in the definition of their practice and no title protection, massage therapists could be at risk legally if AB 1703 passes as currently written.
On behalf of the over 9,000 California massage therapists represented by ABMP, we urge you to amend the language of AB 1703 to protect the practice of massage therapy by educated, qualified massage therapists.