Waiting for Gov. Schwarzenegger

Curious about the California state massage certification bill?  Having fully passed out of the legislature after many years, it is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature.  Unfortunately, he has vowed to sign no bills until the state budget has passed.  We’re crossing our fingers that the budget and subsequently the massage bill are signed soon.  Assuming that happens, we could have a state certification as soon as September 1, 2009.

While this bill does not solve all problems, it’s a good start.  Of course, some opposition remains.  Mainly, those opposed prefer little to no regulation and/or training hour requirements below 500 hours.  Without debating the merits of those arguments, that doesn’t seem to be a realistic option.

Let’s look at a couple of examples to demonstrate my point.  I could make a case that there are advantages to driving on the left-hand side of the road as they do in England.  But, since the rest of our country drives on the right-hand side of the road, it would be costly, time-consuming, difficult, and dangerous to convert everyone to my line of thinking.  Similarly, Betamax and VHS once fought it out to be the standard for videotapes.  By all accounts, Betamax was the better technology.  But for better or worse, the people went with VHS.

Thirty-nine states regulate massage, with more doing so each year.  The national standard for training in those states is 500 hours, but that too is increasing.  New York and Nebraska are already at 1,000 hours.  Additionally, the federal government requires a minimum of 600 hours to receive federal student loans and even more training hours to be eligible for federal grants.  So, regardless of whether you like the idea of regulating massage or agree with the 500-hour minimum, that’s where the tide is going.

Massage in California is already regulated, just not uniformly.  Every city or county decides and enforces its own rules.  This practice continues even as we look toward a future with state certification.  Just this week I was interviewed on the subject by a reporter for the San Bernardino County Sun.  He was researching an article about the city of Fontana recently upgrading their massage requirements to 600 hours.  You can read about it below:

http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_10394126

While state regulation may not solve all problems (and may even create a few new ones), the current regulation patchwork is a disaster for the vast majority of massage therapists across the state.  Paying for multiple licenses, meeting different requirements, and increased competition from better trained therapists are just three of the many issues faced now by therapists.  Let’s hope the state bill becomes effective soon for the benefit of all!