Substitute House Bill 374 - Massage Therapy Licensing Law

• Establishes state licensure requirement for massage therapists through the State Medical Board, eliminating local township licensing of individual massage practitioners

• Allows township boards to regulate massage establishments through registration or permitting, requiring that massage therapy be performed only by persons meeting specific credentials (state-licensed massage therapists, nurses, physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, or students in approved programs)

• Prohibits unlawful advertising of massage therapy services with suggestions or promises of sexual activity and establishes specific prohibitions on sexual contact and improper conduct within massage establishments

• Removes local township licensing of individual "masseurs" and "masseuses" and repeals sections 503.45 and 503.46 creating a unified state-level regulatory framework under the State Medical Board for massage therapy practice

• Requires massage establishments to comply with health and safety inspections, maintain current practitioner licenses on display, and prohibits employment of persons under age 18, with violations classified as first or third degree misdemeanors