Meeting Public Comments

Anne Miller [LMT & AMTA IA]

Thank you for considering SF 2068.It is important that Iowa has a way to discipline not only bad LMTs but bad owners. We need to adopt practices that keep LMTs and the public at large safe. Bad owners are currently using loop holes to practice in criminal unethical ways. The good ethical LMTs are tired of having the name of our profession tarnished by those that give it a bad name. Please help us in keeping Iowa safe from these criminal enterprises.

Kirstie Sargent

I manage a salon and spa and weve been a licensed salon establishment as long as the business has been open. It is time that massage therapy establishment owners also require licensing to ensure ethical practice and a way for Iowas board of massage to sanction or revoke the ability of unethical people and criminals to own a massage establishment. Im tired of the good work that ethical, licensed massage therapists do being tarnished by criminals engaged in trafficking and other crimes.

Erika Dohrer-Smith [AMTA-IA]

I have been a LMT in Iowa City since 1997. I support HF 2068 to protect our clients, professional integrity, and ensure massage therapy businesses are owned by law abiding, ethical individuals. Thank you for working with the massage therapy community to ensure this legislation will not be harmful to legitimate businesses.

Elizabeth Bering

Please consider SF 2068 as it helps protect the public, supports ethical business owners, and safeguards licensed massage therapists like myself from being associated with or subjected to unsafe working conditions. This legislation strengthens the integrity of our profession while giving the state appropriate tools to address bad actors and illicit businesses. I appreciate legislators working with licensed professionals to craft a bill that prioritizes public safety and professional standards. Simply put, the benefits of accepting SF2068 greatly outweigh the outcomes of not accepting it.

Anna Hornsby

I strongly support SF2068 because it holds unethical and illicit businesses accountable while promoting safer, more ethical practices in Iowas salons and spas. This bill is an important step toward protecting both workers and consumers. Thank you for considering this legislation

Kirsten Weiland [Myo Massage Therapy, LLC]

Thank you for considering SF 2068 and Thank you, Legislators for including actively working Licensed Massage Therapists in the process of drafting this bill and considering all aspects of the effects of this bill in its entirety. As a Licensed Massage Therapist, member of the American Massage Therapy Association, a Certified Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist, a small business owner, an employee and member of the Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking, I am in support of this bill. I feel this is one step closer to keeping our profession operating on a higher professional level by holding the illegitimate businessesthe ones who do not want to follow the law and who are trying to practice unethically and unlawfullymore accountable. Business owners need to be held liable for their actions and how they operate their business(es). With my work in oncology massage therapy realm and working in a hospitalbased setting, one of my goals is to have massage therapy viewed as a positively impactful health care treatment and not just a luxury. For many of the patients I treat, there needs to be a higher level of knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology and ethics that those who run illegitimate businesses, most likely, would not have. The general public who may be new to massage, may not know what to look for in a proper massage therapy business. It falls on the State of Iowa regulatory entity to help protect and keep the people in our state safe by having the proper vetting steps in place. Starting from the beginning steps of licensure to the follow through of reporting, investigating and appropriate disciplinary action if deemed necessary. I thank you for considering passing SF 2068 through subcommittee and strengthening the bond between the Licensed Massage Therapists and the State of Iowa Government officials.

Hannah Reierson [Function and Flow Massage Therapy]

SF 2068 is important not only for employees, but for the public as well. This legislation helps keep the reputation of massage therapy honest, safe, and respectableas it should be. It supports the creation of environments where the public can access therapy in safe spaces and where employees are not forced to endure unsafe working conditions. After owning a business of my own for three years, I strongly agree that business owners must be responsible for keeping both employees and clients safe.

Cassie Sampson [American Massage Therapy Association-Iowa]

Thank you for considering SF 2068, and thank you to legislators for consulting with licensed massage therapists in drafting this bill to create a massage therapy establishment license that is not harmful to legitimate licensed massage therapists. More than a third of states have statewide establishment licenses. Iowa has licensing for healthcare facilities and salon establishments, but we do not currently have a way to track and license owners of massage therapy establishments, ensuring professional standards of ethics, safety, sanitation, and applicable laws are followed by owners, rather than just those employed at establishments. Currently in Iowa, only the licensed employees who work in these establishments can face disciplinary action. If an owner creates an environment where employees are coerced to engage in unethical or unsafe conduct, there is no way to sanction that owner, and no way to prohibit them from continuing to own and open more massage therapy establishments. Licensed massage therapists do incredible work for the physical and mental wellness of the folks we serve. We would rather focus on the promising research about how massage therapy could be a viable alternative to prescription pain medication, or how massage therapy can help our veterans, people with cancer, or people experiencing mental health challenges.To see a perfect example of how an license that would allow for disciplinary action against the owner of a massage therapy establishment would have been beneficial, Unfortunately, our healing profession is constantly battling reputational damage from bad actors including those engaged in human trafficking, pretending to operate legitimate massage businesses. This is dangerous to the public, this creates unsafe conditions for people being abused by these owners,and is detrimental to our profession and trust in the work we do.This bill will not create undue burdens on licensed professionals. In fact, for those working in cities with costly city permits and ordinances, the creation of a statewide establishment license can reduce bureaucratic hurdles. This legislation WILL create the most effective system yet for the state to be able to deny licenses to open massage establishments to those with histories of criminal activity, and to sanction or revoke the establishment licenses of owners who have violated laws. This will not only impact a single location, but it could allow the state to shut down any establishment owned by a bad actor throughout Iowa.Sincerely,Cassie Sampson, Iowa Licensed Massage Therapist since 2005

Matt Johnson [AMTA-IA]

Thank you for considering SF 2068. Iowa licenses massage therapists, but we do not currently have a meaningful statewide way to license and discipline massage establishment owners. This bill improves public safety by creating ownerlevel accountability for ethical practice, sanitation, and legal compliance. It also gives the state stronger authority to deny or revoke establishment licenses for bad actors, including those tied to criminal activity and exploitation.SF 2068 supports legitimate licensed massage therapists while helping protect the public and the integrity of our profession.