A380

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ANGELICA M. JIMENEZ

District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)

Assemblyman THOMAS P. GIBLIN

District 34 (Essex and Passaic)

Assemblywoman ELIZABETH MAHER MUOIO

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

Revises licensing requirements and procedures under the “Massage and Bodywork Therapist Licensing Act.”

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning massage and bodywork therapy and amending P.L.2007, c.337 and P.L1999, c.19.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 13 of P.L.2007, c.337 (C.45:11-68) is amended to read as follows:

13. Nothing in the “Massage and Bodywork Therapist Licensing Act,” P.L.1999, c.19 (C.45:11-53 et seq.), shall be construed to prohibit:

a. [Nothing in this amendatory and supplementary act shall be construed to prohibit any] Any person licensed to practice in this State under any other law from engaging in or using titles consistent with the practice for which he is licensed or to prohibit any student enrolled in a program of massage and bodywork therapies recognized by the board from performing massage and bodywork therapies which are necessary to his course of study.

b. [Nothing in this amendatory and supplementary act shall be construed to prohibit any] Any person from performing massage and bodywork therapies in this State, if those therapies are performed for no more than 45 days in a calendar year and for no more than 30 days in any 60-consecutive day period and provided that the person is duly licensed, certified or registered to practice massage and bodywork therapy in another state or the District of Columbia.

c. [Nothing in this amendatory and supplementary act shall be construed to prohibit any] Any person from engaging in the manipulation of soft tissue of the human body contained on hands, feet or ears, provided that the client does not remove any clothing other than shoes or socks.

d. [Nothing in this amendatory and supplementary act shall be construed to prohibit any] Any teacher from demonstrating massage and bodywork techniques while teaching a class or workshop if the individual is duly licensed by another state or possession of the United States or the District of Columbia to practice massage and bodywork therapies if that state or district of residence requires such licensure for an individual to practice massage and bodywork therapies.

e. [Nothing in this amendatory and supplementary act shall be construed to prohibit any] Any person from using touch, words and directed movement to deepen awareness of existing patterns of movement in the body, or to suggest new possibilities of movement provided that these services are not designated or implied to be
massage and bodywork therapy and the client is fully clothed.

f. Any person from practicing techniques that involve structured touch or resting hands on the surface of the client’s body to affect energy fields of the body, without delivering pressure or manipulating soft tissue, while the client is fully clothed.

(cf: P.L.2007, c.337, s.13)

2. Section 8 of P.L.1999, c.19 (C.45:11-60) is amended to read as follows:

8. To be eligible for licensure as a massage and bodywork therapist, an applicant shall be of good moral character and submit to the board satisfactory evidence of:

a. Successful completion of a minimum of 500 hours in class study in the field of massage and bodywork therapies approved by the board; [or] and

b. Successful completion of a written examination approved by the board, which shall consider relevant education, training and practical work experience, to determine the applicant's competence to practice massage and bodywork therapies. [The successful completion of any such examination may have been accomplished before the effective date of this act.]

(cf: P.L.2007, c.337, s.6)

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill exempts certain persons from the provisions of the “Massage and Bodywork Therapist Licensing Act” and provides that applicants for licensure under that act must complete both class study and examination requirements.

This bill exempts from the provisions of the “Massage and Bodywork Therapist Licensing Act” persons practicing techniques involving structured touch or resting hands on the surface of a client’s body to affect energy fields of the body, without delivering pressure or manipulating soft tissue, while the client is fully clothed.

Additionally, this bill provides that, to be eligible for licensure as a massage and bodywork therapist, an applicant must complete a minimum of 500 hours in class study in the field of massage and bodywork therapies and complete a written examination. Under current law, an applicant must either complete a minimum of 500 hours in class study in the field of massage and bodywork therapies or complete a written examination.