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2001 LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
° Health club exemption eliminated - H.B. 289:
signed into law, eliminated the troublesome exemption that permitted individuals to practice massage in health clubs without certification or registration. This new law makes it mandatory that individuals practicing massage in health clubs now be certified or registered under the Board's Program.
* December, 2002 Memorandum - Health Club Exemption Eliminated
° Massage Practice in beauty salons is clarified - H.B. 289:
also corrects an unintentional gaff in a 1999 Cosmetology Board statute that implied that full massage therapy could be practiced by cosmetologists. H.B. 289 specifies that hands-on-techniques by cosmetologists are restricted exclusively to the application/removal of skin or skin care products. No therapeutic massage is permitted. The DLLR has agreed to draft detailed regulations further clarifying this issue.
° Law clarifies exemption for certain energy procedures - S.B. 194:
provides an exemption for the restricted techniques/procedures of applying pressure or movement on a fully clothed client for the exclusive purpose of affecting the energy field of the human body. It should be noted that, notwithstanding the name, title, philosophy of a practice (i.e. Shiatsu, Reflexology, Yoga, Polarity etc.) as long as the practitioner restricts his/her technique to the narrow provision of the exemption language, the technique is not subject to Board regulation. However, if the practitioner engages in a technique or procedure that goes beyond this restrictive language, then disciplinary action will be enforced.
° Grandfather provision ended December 31, 2001:
Starting January 1, 2002, ALL applicants will be required to graduate from an approved 500 hour massage school and must take and pass the National Certification Board for Therapeutic and Bodywork examination ( NCBTMB). The provision allowing 300 hours of practical experience to substitute for the education requirement ended. The last Maryland Board waiver examination was administered on October 23, 2001.
° Craniosacral Therapy Restriction Provision:
At its meeting on December 13, 2001 the Board of Chiropractic Examiners voted that Certified Massage Therapist may practice Craniosacral therapy provided that the practitioner's technique complies with the definition of " massage therapy" in MD Code Annotated, Health Occupation Article, Section 3-5A- 1 (g).