Tag: Legislation

AZ House Approves Legislation to Strengthen Screening for Licensed Massage Therapists The Arizona House has passed a bill that, if passed into law, will strengthen the criminal screening process for the state's licensed massage therapists. The House approved this law in a 43-15 vote, which now moves the bill to the state's Senate for further consideration. This law would introduce a requirement for massage therapists to have fingerprint screening cards starting in January of 2023 for both initial licensure and renewals and require the state to take all actions, both disciplinary and nondisciplinary, that are brought against licensed massage therapists available online. Currently, the Arizona State Board of Massage does post-disciplinary activity on its online database; however, this does not include nondisciplinary actions such as letters of probation, which could be a warning sign for many public members. This bill had received considerable bipartisan support in the House and has come in the wake of significant press coverage showing that the state's Massage Board had failed to take action when massage therapists had been accused of sexual abuse or fondling. As a result, consumers were needlessly put in danger. Subsequent to this, Arizona's Governor replaced every member of the Board. By requiring a thorough background check, including fingerprint cards, licensed massage therapists will be more in line with a wide variety of professions that are regulated under state law, including school bus drivers, teachers, assisted-living-facility managers, and many more. In order to receive these cards, the Arizona Department of Public Safety will perform a thorough review of an applicant's criminal history and disqualify those who have been convicted of certain crimes. Currently, applicants will undergo a background check; however, they are not required to receive fingerprint clearance cards. Instead, the Arizona Department of Public Safety submits the results of background checks to the Massage Board, who will examine the effects and make any judgments. The Arizona Massage Board has not yet officially commented on the new bill; however, its investigator has stated that removing the Board's current system could make it difficult for the Board to make informed decisions concerning licensure. This is because by receiving a detailed analysis of each applicant's criminal history, the Board can see details on the original offenses for which individuals were charged. This can allow them to see whether a person was charged with crimes such as prostitution which were later reduced to lesser offenses through plea bargains. The legislature apparently recognized these concerns as the bill's sponsor has introduced an amendment that would add requirements for fingerprint clearance cards while leaving the existing system for background checks in place. This would expand the screening requirements while allowing the Board to make educated judgments still. Background checks are made easy with Pre-employ. Ask any questions you may have and learn more by contacting a sales rep today

Tag: Legislation

AZ House Legislation to Strengthen Screening for Licensed Massage Therapists

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