SB382 - Alabama Massage Therapy Licensure Act Amendments

• Eliminates temporary permits for massage therapy practice and increases minimum supervised instruction hours from 500 to 650 hours for licensure.

• Requires applicants to be 18 years old with high school diploma or equivalent and subject to criminal history background checks.

• Increases penalties for violations from Class C misdemeanor to Class A misdemeanor and increases board authority to revoke or suspend licenses.

• Changes executive secretary title to executive director, provides $100 per day compensation to board members, reduces board public members from two to one, and allows excused absences for medical reasons and family events.

• Expands definition of therapeutic massage to include additional modalities and extends exemptions for energy field work, visiting instructors, and hospital wellness facilities.