Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 168 3
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By: Senator Rice 5
By: Representative K. Brown 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A STATE EXAMINATION FOR LICENSURE 9
OF MASSAGE THERAPISTS; TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY; AND 10
FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
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Subtitle 14
TO ESTABLISH A STATE EXAMINATION FOR 15
LICENSURE OF MASSAGE THERAPISTS; AND TO 16
DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 17
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 17, Chapter 86, Subchapter 3, is 21
amended to add an additional section to read as follows: 22
17-86-315. State examination for licensure. 23
(a) The State Board of Health shall administer a state examination for 24
licensure as a massage therapist that shall be administered at the time and 25
place designated by the department. 26
(b)(1) The state examination shall be a one hundred (100) question 27
examination and be proportionate to educational requirements and classroom 28
hours based on the Massage Therapy Act, ยง 17 -86-101 et seq. 29
(2) The state examination shall include: 30
(A) Nine (9) questions concerning anatomy and physiology; 31
(B) Nine (9) questions concerning kinesiology; 32
(C) Twenty (20) questions concerning pathology, 33
contraindications, and special populations; 34
(D) Forty-five (45) questions concerning massage 35
techniques; 36 SB168
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(E) Five (5) questions concerning hydrotherapy, 1
electrotherapy, and heliotherapy; 2
(F) Five (5) questions concerning hygiene and infection 3
control; and 4
(G) Seven (7) questions concerning massage therapy law, 5
business management, and personal ethics. 6
(c) A passing grade of seventy percent (70%) on the state examination 7
is required for licensure. 8
(d) The state examination shall not be computer adaptive. 9
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SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 11
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that the costs of national 12
licensing examinations are excessive and hinder some individuals from being 13
licensed to practice massage therapy in this state; that this state has a 14
shortage of massage therapists to provide care to the citizens of this state; 15
that this act would allow individuals to take a state examination for 16
licensure as a massage therapist in this state and help increase massage 17
therapists in this state; and that this act is immediately necessary because 18
this state has a shortage of massage therapists to provide care for citizens 19
of this state due to the excessive costs of the national licensing 20
examinations. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, and this act 21
being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, 22
and safety shall become effective on: 23
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 24
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 25
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 26
bill; or 27
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 28
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 29
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