SB168

Senate Bill 168 amends Arkansas law to create an optional state-administered licensure examination for massage therapists as an alternative to the existing national examination requirement. The bill mandates that the Arkansas Department of Health oversee the 100-question test, which covers specific subjects including anatomy, pathology, massage techniques, and ethics. To be eligible for this state exam, candidates must be graduates of an approved massage therapy school or enrolled in a state-approved apprenticeship program. A passing score is set at 70%, and the exam is explicitly required not to be computer-adaptive. Additionally, the bill allows the department to source examination questions from current massage therapy instructors, provided the questions are sourced from approved textbooks and clearly documented.