Protecting Consumers and Enhancing Pubuc Safety

摘要

For years California was one of the only states that regulated massage with a patchwork of 549 regulatory schemes. As more states mandated state licensing and raised educational standards, California lagged behind. Currently 43 states and the District of Columbia regulate massage. California's diverse system of local ordinances was not working. Consumers had no way of knowing the meaning of credentials, with graduates of two-week programs using the same titles as those from one-year educational programs. Massage therapists who had worked for many years in one area of the state found that they did not qualify to practice in other areas because each jurisdiction had completely different standards. In addition, massage as a subterfuge for prostitution and human trafficking is a larger problem in California than in other states.