Massage Therapist Licensure (H 7738, S 2625)

The ACLU of Rhode Island had no position on the overall intent of this legislation, which generally relocates the chapter concerning massage therapy licensure from one section of the General Laws to another. However, the introduction of this legislation provided a necessary opportunity to make several amendments to the law to ensure the inclusion of appropriate due process considerations that have been independently enacted into law since this licensure statute was adopted. We refer specifically to the state’s passage four years ago of the Fair Chance Licensing Act, which the massage therapist law does not comport with. We encourage the addition of amendments to this bill to correct that.