Please oppose Senate bill S.168, a draconian bodywork licensing bill
never before enacted in any other
state.
S.168 will impact over 150 healing techniques practiced by thousands
of complementary and alternative
health care practitioners across Massachusetts.
Without their consent, it redefines
a vast majority of these practitioners
as ‘bodyworkers’ and subjects them
to expensive and time consuming
state mandated schooling and
ongoing licensing fees for classes
on techniques that have nothing
to do with the work they currently
do or want to do in the future.
Further, it gives jurisdiction over
them to a small board of their
business competitors – the
massage and bodywork
specialists appointed to the
newly created board – who
are unlikely to have an
understanding of each of the
hundred-plus diverse healing
techniques and who have an
interest in seeing their competition diminished or eliminated through
the rules and regulations which
the bill empowers them to
promulgate.
Supporters of S.168 admit it is
not being put forth to control
dangerous or problematic
techniques used by health
practitioners, which is the
purpose of licensing. Rather,
S.168 is being presented to
try to eliminate sex trafficking
at illicit massage facilities -
9 cases of which were reported
last year. If just 10% of
trafficking takes place in
massage or bodywork venues,
then how is proposing S.168 -
a devastating, draconian bill
that completely ignores 90%
of its target (see https://humantraffickinghotline.org/state/massachusetts) – a good solution?
It’s not!
Complementary and alternative
health practitioners and consumers shouldn’t be punished by the state
of Massachusetts for the activity
of members of organized crime.
S.168 will immediately drive
thousands of practitioners out
of business and dramatically
increase the cost of holistic health
care for Bay State residents at
a time when health care costs
are already out of control and
more people are looking for
alternatives.
If the legislature desires to end
human trafficking, I urge them
to enact those policies suggested
in the taxpayer-funded study
from 2013: the Massachusetts
Interagency Human Trafficking
Policy Task Force Findings and Recommendations report.
Nowhere in that report are the
onerous measures contemplated
by S.168 recommended, rather
the Task Force concluded the
obvious: the only way to affect
100% of Human Traffickers is
by reducing the demand
through enforcement of John
Laws, fines and re-education.
Please vote NO on S. 168
which promises little but
massive collateral damage -
punishing thousands of hard
working business owners,
many with children, while
encouraging human traffickers
to simply refocus on one of
their other venues: e.g. street,
hotel, residential and escort -
where 90% of their business
already takes place.
Very sincerely,
Visit One-Stop website
HERE
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