STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1248-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: S.B. No. 2878

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2878, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MASSAGE THERAPY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to institute certain consumer protections with regard to massage therapy by:

(1) Requiring the Board of Massage Therapy, rather than the Department of Health, to adopt and enforce sanitary rules for massage therapy establishments;

(2) Repealing the penalty for unlicensed practice of massage therapy in favor of existing law that treats unlicensed activity as a misdemeanor; and

(3) Increasing the fines for violations of the laws regulating massage therapy.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Massage Therapy and Hawaii Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2878, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair