Sen. Landske’s SB 10 would require massage therapists to be licensed instead of merely provide for certification.
In the world of licensure regulation, there are three basic levels: license, certification, and registration. Registration does not typically require any particular credentials or training and the fact that you are registered does not necessarily mean that you are qualified; the State just wants to know who you are and that you are engaged in a particular activity.
Certification offers what amounts to a seal of approval. Under a certification regime, you can engage in an activity regardless of whether you are certified, but you can’t call yourself a Certified Whatever unless you have the certification. This offers the consumer some general assurance that someone who is certified meets some minimum standards. The consumer theoretically knows he or she is taking their chances if they go to someone who is not certified.
Licensure prohibits engaging in the activity at all if you don’t jump through the licensure hoops. This means that someone who doesn’t prove to the State that they meet the minimum standards is not allowed to engage in the particular activity.
Sen. Landske’s bill would move massage therapists out of the certification structure and into a licensure structure. The bill would also preempt local governments from imposing their own massage therapy regulations.
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