Massachusetts Reiki S. 2599 S.2621

MA Bills H.350 and S.221

UPDATE December 7, 2021.  Massachusetts – An Act Regulating Alternative Healing Therapies.
You can download the proposed bills here https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H350  and here https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S221   These bills potentially affect Reiki Practitioners in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

There is a Joint Virtual Hearing scheduled for December 13, 2021 from 12PM-5PM EST.  

You can respectfully make your voice heard by either: 

1. You may email written testimony by December 13th to:
jointcmte-consumerprotection@malegislature.gov

2. You may give oral testimony by Zoom on Monday December 13th. You will need to register by 5PM EST on December 9th. You may do that from the form link on this page https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/4120  See the grey column at left and scroll to link at To register, please fill out your contact information in this form by Thursday December 9 at 5:00 PM.

If you are emailing written testimony the subject of your email would be Testimony regarding H.350 and S.221, An Act Regulating Alternative Healing Therapies

Reiki Practitioners and those who have been helped by Reiki are encouraged to give positive, respectful, professional, credible, mainstream testimony either via email or by Zoom. Please read the bills thoroughly and reference any items within the bills in your testimony. 

In addition, you may also wish to separately email the members of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensing. Their names and emails can be found at this page https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Detail/J17/192  

Offering a thoughtful and respectful testimony for the Committee and your representatives can help clarify why Reiki Practitioners should be exempt from this bill. Please show your professionalism, caring, and respect for the Committee members’ tireless work for the betterment of the Commonwealth. Do shine as the benevolent, professional Reiki Practitioner who you are in your succinct and professional communications.

Just a few of the reasons Reiki Practitioners should be exempt include:

Reiki is not massage but is a spiritual healing practice that is offered in many spas, hospitals, hospice and private practice. Many Reiki Practitioners volunteer their services in medical environments to provide comfort and peace. Including Reiki Practitioners in this bill would not only harm livelihood for their families, it would have an effect of many stopping their services, including volunteer work in hospitals, hospice and other settings that provide comfort and peace.

Help the Committee make their best decision by giving your positive, respectful, professional, credible, mainstream testimony either via email or by Zoom. Please kindly read the bills thoroughly and reference any items within the bills in your testimony.

–

MA Senate Bill S.168

UPDATE: October 2019

There is a new bill in the Massachusetts Senate which is now Massachusetts Bill S. 168 “An Act Licensing Bodyworks”. Formerly Bills S.2599/Bill S.2621 which is “An Act to Regulate Bodywork Therapy” are discussed below.  If you are a MA Reiki Practitioner or Teacher read on to learn what you can do and check this page for updates in real-time.

There is a public hearing scheduled for October 28th so time is of the essence. Please read on for what you can do.

Reiki Practitioner Action List:

Call for Oral and Written Testimony for the Public Hearing on S.168
Hearing Date: Monday, October 28
Hearing Time: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Hearing Location: Gardiner Auditorium
Boston State House
24 Beacon Street
Boston, MA  02133 

What You Can Do To Help Reiki in Massachusetts 

• Attend the Public Hearing and give support to Reiki and the individuals testifying.
• Give oral testimony which is limited to three minutes in length in opposition to S.168. 
• Prepare written testimony and submit it at the Public Hearing 
• Prepare written testimony and email it to the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (email addresses below):

We at IARP strongly feel that Reiki should be EXEMPT from this bill for the following reasons:

• Reiki is not massage nor is it bodywork. It is a spiritual healing practice that is offered in many spas, hospitals, hospices, and private practices. Many Reiki Practitioners volunteer their services in medical and caregiving environments to provide comfort and peace.
• Reiki does not require touch as sessions can be performed with hands a few inches above the body. A Reiki session is always clothed and there are traditional hand positions used, none of which are near sensitive or private areas. A client may request a very gentle static pressure touch or hands a few inches above the traditional Reiki hand position areas. 
• People who practice Reiki are Reiki Practitioners, not Reiki Therapists. They are considered neither therapists nor bodyworkers.
• Including Reiki Practitioners in this bill would not only harm livelihood for their families, but it would also have an effect of many stopping their services, including volunteer work in hospitals, hospices, and other settings that provide comfort and peace.
• Please provide these and any other reasons why you feel Reiki should be exempt from this bill in your support or testimony.

> CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO GIVE TESTIMONY

You can find email addresses of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure:

https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Detail/J17

https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Members/Senate

https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Members/House

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/SD1840

Bill S.2599/Bill S.2621

Dear Massachusetts Reiki Practitioners,

There is a bill in the Massachusetts Senate which is now Massachusetts Bill S. 168 “An Act Licensing Bodyworks”. Formerly Bill S.2599/Bill S.2621 which is “An Act to Regulate Bodywork Therapy” are discussed below.  If you are a MA Reiki Practitioner or Teacher read on to learn what you can do and check the bottom of this page for updates in real-time.

We applaud the members of the Massachusetts Senate and the House of Representatives for their noble work as the bill is intended “for legislation to prevent human trafficking and sexual exploitation in bodywork establishments” however we do not see the inclusion of Reiki Practitioners in the proposed bill as helpful toward their desired intentions and outcomes. We see it as negatively affecting constituents if Reiki Practitioners and Teachers are included.

We are asking to have Reiki Practitioners/Teachers listed as exempt from Bill S.2599 reprinted as amended Bill S.2621 or future versions of this bill.

Our office has called the MA Senate Committee’s office and has contacted the MA House of Representatives to discuss our concerns and position and why Reiki Practitioners and Teachers should be exempt from this bill.

As a Reiki Practitioner in Massachusetts, you can make your voice heard by contacting your local State Representative and your local State Senator. Offering a thoughtful and respectful dialogue with your representatives, senators, committee staffers, and MA legislators can help clarify why Reiki Practitioners should be exempt from this bill. Please show your professionalism, caring, and respect for their tireless work for the betterment of the Commonwealth and shine as the benevolent, professional Reiki Practitioner you are in your communications.

Information can be found here:
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S2599
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S2621

Find your Legislators:
https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator

Just a few of the many reasons Reiki Practitioners should be exempt include:

Reiki is not massage nor is it bodywork. It is a spiritual healing practice that is offered in many spas, hospitals, hospices, and private practices. Many Reiki Practitioners volunteer their services in medical and caregiving environments to provide comfort and peace.

Reiki does not require touch as sessions can be performed with hands a few inches above the body. A Reiki session is always clothed and there are traditional hand positions used, none of which are near sensitive or private areas. A client may request a very gentle static pressure touch or hands a few inches above the traditional Reiki hand position areas.

People who practice Reiki are Reiki Practitioners, not Reiki Therapists. They are considered neither therapists nor bodyworkers.

Including Reiki Practitioners in this bill would not only harm livelihood for their families, but it would also have an effect of many stopping their services, including volunteer work in hospitals, hospices, and other settings that provide comfort and peace.

Click the purple share links below to share on Facebook and social media with your Reiki friends, colleagues, students, and Reiki circles in Massachusetts.

Thank you

Sincerely,
IARP

We are here for you. Together, we can do so much more.

Updates:
7/19/2018: Branch – Senate. Action – Passed to be engrossed – see Roll Call #456 (Yeas 36 to Nays 0)

7/23/2018: Branch – House. Action – Read and referred to the Committee on House Ways and Means.

7/23/2018: Our office had sent a multipage letter to Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez, Chair, House Committee on Ways and Means, shared with staff and others affiliated with voting on this bill, detailing that Reiki is not bodywork and the reasons why it should be exempt from Bill S.2599/S.2621 or any future versions of this bill. We received a response within 12 hours that stated the bill does not specify that Reiki is included in the definition of bodywork.

7/24/2018: We followed up with a phone call to the office of Rep. Sánchez, Chairman, on 7/24 and were told that our letter and information made it clear as to why Reiki is not included in the category of Bodywork. Also, we conveyed that we want to follow this proposed bill closely and they said that if there is any movement on the bill or questions they will contact our office. We further asked about progress and the status of the bill and they indicated that they have a high volume of bills at current and that this bill was only brought to the House yesterday and no action has been taken on it. Also, if no action is taken by the 31st then the proposed bill would need to be refiled for the next legislative session.

7/24/2018:  Additional Notes:  In Bill S.2599 reprinted as amended Bill S.2621, the following section applies to exemption.:

• • 78  (b) The following practitioners shall be exempt from the licensure requirements of this
  • 79  section:
  • 80  (i) a person who: (A) is otherwise licensed, certified, or registered under the General
  • 81  Laws; (B) is performing services within the person’s authorized scope of practice; and
  • 82  (C) does not hold the person’s self out to be a massage therapist, bodywork therapist or
  • 83  bodyworker;

As all seasoned Reiki Practitioners know, Reiki is a sacred and spiritual healing practice and is not bodywork. We thank the MA Legislature for allowing us to clarify the nature of Reiki.

FYI – On Wednesday 7/25 there will be a lobby gathering of Reiki practitioners, along with holistic practitioners and bodyworkers of multiple modalities at the MA State House in Boston at 1:00 pm in the cafeteria.

7/31/2018: Our office followed up by phone with the office of the House Chair. Bill S.2621 was not voted on and no action was taken. For any movement to happen, this bill or similar would need to be submitted for the next legislative session which is the January 2019 session. This next session will be scheduled after any new legislative members are sworn in as this is an election year, date TBA.

We again thank the MA Legislature for allowing us to clarify the nature of Reiki and for keeping Reiki free to be of benefit to the citizens of Massachusetts.

Click the purple share links below to share on Facebook and social media with your Reiki friends, colleagues, students, and Reiki circles in Massachusetts.