AMTA’s office will be closed December 24-25 and January 1, and business hours on December 23, 26 and 27 will be 9 am-5 pm CT. To contact HPSO, call 1-888-253-1474. Click here for more information on the best times to reach us.
Louisiana to Raise Minimum Education Hours for Massage Therapists
Senate Bill 353 (SB 353), which will increase entry level education hours from 500 to 625 hours in Louisiana, has been enrolled and is awaiting Governor Landry's signature. This bill will also update requirements regarding background checks and will reinstate lapsed licenses. AMTA has been advocating for these important changes in state law on behalf of all Louisiana massage therapists, schools and students!
Without this new law, federal financial aid, specifically the Pell Grant, would have been in jeopardy for Title IV schools with massage therapy programs above 500 education hours. The state licensing requirement of 625 education hours will now allow massage programs with up to this many hours, continued access to the full array of federal financial aid under the new Title IV regulations recently imposed by the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, Non-Title IV schools will have a grace period to bring their program into compliance with the new requirements.
We encourage you to reach out to our Government Relations Team with any questions.