South Dakota Massage Therapists Successfully Guide Bill into Law

South Dakota massage therapists successfully guided a bill establishing regulation of the massage profession through the 2005 Legislative Session on their first try. The bill was signed into law by South Dakota Governor M. Michael Rounds on February 25, 2005 making South Dakota, the 34th state to pass massage therapy legislation. The new massage therapist licensing law goes into effect July 1, 2005.

South Dakota was awarded its first Law and Legislation Assistance Program (LLAP) grant from AMTA in 2003. A second LLAP grant was awarded in 2004 to continue their legislative efforts in addition to donations from other massage therapists and the AMTA-South Dakota Chapter. The AMTA-South Dakota Chapter also collaborated with other massage therapists including members of IMA and ABMP in drafting the language for the bill.

Two key elements led to the passage of the law on its first attempt. The first was anticipating who might be in opposition to the legislation and collaborating with them on the bill. By working with area chiropractors, physical therapists, medical doctors and cosmetologists, massage therapists were able to make minor language adjustments without altering the intent of the bill. The second, and most important, was involving massage therapists throughout the state of South Dakota. This was clearly evident during the annual Massage Day at the Capitol where 21 massage therapists served breakfast and provided over 120 chair massages to legislators, spouses, and capitol staff. It was a great opportunity to get massage therapists in front of the legislators to reinforce the importance of the bill.

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