Ohio No Longer Connected to the IMpact
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed Senate Bill 276, adopting legislation based on an unrelated, significantly different variation of the original interstate massage compact. As a result, Ohio is no longer part of the official IMpact legislative framework already enacted by four states.
The legislation signed in Ohio moves professional mobility and public safety backwards by establishing a separate compact framework promoted by the American Massage Therapy Association that does not work with the official IMpact. Rather than advancing a single, unified interstate compact, this action creates two competing compact frameworks and takes a step backward in the effort to achieve nationwide license mobility for massage therapists. In addition, the Ohio AMTA version of the compact, rejected by eight other states, enables human trafficking to further infiltrate the massage therapy profession.
The FSMTB continues to support the original IMpact because it is a simplified regulatory pathway developed through a transparent and inclusive process that balanced interstate license mobility for licensed massage therapists with strong public protection.
FSMTB President Liz Barnard states, “As the organization created by and for state massage therapy licensing boards, FSMTB believes interstate licensure compacts are most successful when they are developed collaboratively, enacted consistently, and administered through a unified statutory framework. Maintaining that consistency is essential to building an operational compact that serves regulators, licensees, employers, military families, and the public.”
The FSMTB remains committed to working with its member boards, legislators, and stakeholders across the profession to achieve the shared goal of safe, effective interstate license mobility through one functioning Interstate Massage Compact.
To learn more about the official IMpact, including its development, stakeholder inclusion, guiding principles, and current status, visit massagecompact.org.
