Full tank of gas? Check. Massage table? Check. Multistate massage license . . . Almost. Sounds like a great idea, right—a license that allows you to leave your home state and practice in another? Well, it’s a possibility that ABMP wants to make a reality!
If you have been closely following the Herculean effort to establish an interstate massage compact, you already know that things have gotten messy. The original interstate massage compact, called the IMpact, spearheaded by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, was on track with five of the seven states needed having passed it into law, but was moving too slowly, according to the Department of Defense and the Council of State Governments, and there were disagreements with the language. Then, a new version of a compact arrived, complicating matters. Now, we have two very similar compacts at odds with each other, neither of which currently has enough states signed on to make it official. If your head is spinning, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Why is this important? Because a compact could change your career. Once at least seven states pass the same compact language, licensed massage therapists who obtain a multistate license will be able to temporarily move between participating states by applying for a multistate license and get right to work without long application wait times or a hiatus between practicing. To obtain a multistate license, eligible massage therapists will be required to meet certain education requirements (these differ between the two bills) and have passed a national examination. They will also need to have a clean background check and no encumbrances or disciplinary action against their license in their home state. An applicant must live in one of the states that has joined the compact.
This year’s legislative session (which for most states runs from January through late spring/early summer) will likely make or break whether massage therapists get a compact in the near future. Whichever version of the compact language is signed into law in seven states first will be the foundation upon which the first massage compact commission is built. If that doesn’t happen this year, our chances of getting a compact may diminish. Either we get one of these two compacts, or state legislators could decide to stay above the fray and reject both versions. If that happens, the massage profession may be deprived of license portability, and that is an unfortunate outcome.
You may wonder where ABMP stands on this topic? We want to be explicitly clear: We stand with you, our members, who deserve professional portability and all the benefits that come with it. We stand on the side of compromise. We stand on the side of coming together to establish an interstate compact that will help advance individual massage therapists and the profession as a whole. What we want is for everyone involved to focus on achieving our mutual goal: Securing true professional portability for massage therapists across the country. We have called on our partners in the profession to set aside differences and work with each other to secure the best outcome for massage therapists across the country. ABMP stands on the side of our members, we stand on the side of progress, and we stand on the side of portability.
ABMP is in favor of establishing a compact, securing portability for you, and helping the profession grow. We are working closely with legislators in numerous states to establish true portability for massage therapy. If you believe an interstate license would benefit massage therapists, write a letter to your representatives. Share your experience, opinions, and what you hope to see in a massage compact. Let’s advance safe and effective licensure mobility solutions together!