Daugaard: Massage therapists shouldn't need licenses - Sioux Falls Argus Leader

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South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard presented the United States Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta during the Western Governors' Association meeting in the Starlite Ballroom at Holiday Inn Sioux Falls-City Centre Thursday.(Photo: Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader)Buy Photo


South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard said Thursday the state should take the Trump administration's advice and begin rolling back occupational licensure requirements, and the best place to start is with massage therapists.

The Republican governor told reporters the Legislature should look to set up licensing reciprocity with other states and begin stripping requirements for state licensing in professional fields where it serves as a “protectionist measure."

"I think the idea was we’ll license massage therapists to prevent prostitution from occurring at these places," Daugaard said. "Well if people suspect there’s prostitution, they should report it to law enforcement and we already have procedures to understand and manage that."

“I honestly am not worried about somebody rubbing my muscles so hard that they’ll injure me or that they’ll need a license to protect me from them,” Daugaard continued.

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The remarks followed a speech in Sioux Falls from U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta in which he called on members of the Western Governors' Association to streamline professional requirements to begin practicing various trades in their states.

"If licenses aren't necessary they should be eliminated," he told reporters.

Acosta pointed to Maryland, where psychics require a fortune-telling license, and New York City, where pet sitters need certification. Any areas that prevent prospective workers from entering the field and don't serve a health or safety purpose should be stripped away, he said.

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United States Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta addressed the Western Governors' Association meeting in the Starlite Ballroom at Holiday Inn Sioux Falls-City Centre Thursday in Sioux Falls. South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard presented Acosta during the Governors' Association meeting. (Photo: Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader)


Massage therapists in recent years have fought to expand the state massage therapist board's enforcement authority and increase penalties for those who help therapists violate board rules.

They have aimed to crack down on prostitution and sex trafficking in unlicensed massage parlors.

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Under state law, those who massage without a license face misdemeanor charges, which carry a penalty of up to one-year imprisonment or a $2,000 fine. But convictions are rarely made as it can be challenging to find those involved in the illegal situations and to investigate them.

Rhanda Heller, a licensed massage therapist in Sioux Falls, said she has worked in the industry since 1988 under varying forms of licensing and regulation. And the legal requirement to hold a license hasn't completely relieved many licensed massage therapists' concerns, she said.

"Ethics are going to be there or they're not going to be there," she said. "A license isn't going to change that."

Follow Dana Ferguson on Twitter @bydanaferguson, call 605-370-2493 or email dferguson@argusleader.com

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