Health Occupations - State Board of Massage Therapy Examiners - Revisions
HB0042 revises Maryland’s massage therapy licensing and registration framework under the State Board of Massage Therapy Examiners. The bill phases out the older registered massage practitioner pathway and moves the profession toward a single licensing system. It allows individuals already registered by the Board to continue practicing beyond the prior cutoff date, requires the Board to convert existing registrations to licenses if the individual meets Board regulations, and bars new initial registrations after October 1, 2024.
The bill also updates the qualifications for licensure. It raises and clarifies education requirements, including 750 contact hours, and adds more detailed rules for out-of-state education programs and ways applicants may supplement missing hours through Board-approved coursework, continuing education, or documented hands-on experience. In addition, it revises reinstatement and reactivation rules, requires criminal history checks for reinstatement/reactivation, and removes the requirement that a $100 administrative penalty for failing to report a name or address change be subject to certain hearing provisions.
The bill amends several sections of the Health Occupations Article, including provisions governing who may practice massage therapy, licensure qualifications, waiver authority for out-of-state applicants, administrative penalties, reinstatement, and inactive-status reactivation. It effectively modernizes and consolidates the regulatory structure by eliminating future initial registrations for massage practitioners and transitioning existing registrants into the licensing system. The changes affect current registered massage practitioners, prospective applicants, out-of-state applicants, and the State Board’s enforcement and credentialing processes.
The overall sentiment appears supportive and administrative rather than controversial. Because the bill was enacted and approved by the Governor, the available record suggests it moved forward without visible opposition in the provided materials. The revisions are framed as cleanup and modernization of professional licensing rules, with an emphasis on clarifying standards and aligning the credentialing process with current Board practice.
The main points of potential contention are the stricter and more detailed licensure requirements, especially the 750-contact-hour education standard, the treatment of out-of-state programs, and the transition away from the registered massage practitioner category. Existing registrants may be affected by the conversion and reinstatement rules, while applicants from other states may need to meet additional equivalency or supplementation requirements. The bill also removes hearing-related language for a modest administrative penalty, which could be viewed as reducing procedural protections, though no specific opposition is shown in the provided record.