Back in October, the amended establishment rules were sent to the Rules Review Commission. While the rules are still not ideal for actually preventing the type of trafficking we see in our industry, they were no longer in danger of putting a large percentage of legitimate but small businesses out of practice. However, there was a delay in implementation because of some underhanded objections by a large massage chain. Per the NC BMBT official newsletter:
The Rules proposed by the Board cannot go into effect until the 2019 Legislature takes action or fails to take action within 31 days of the Legislature convening. Attorneys for the Board are currently in discussions with attorneys for a coalition of Massage Envy Establishments in North Carolina regarding the objections to the Rules.
For the time being, these new rules are in limbo. We do not expect any significant changes to the rules themselves, but there are other changes that may be proposed, such as changes to the composition of the Board, that I personally feel are in poor faith and not for the protection of the public as much as the protection of certain chains. Additionally, the Board is continuing to discuss Reflexology and other energy modalities with their representatives to attempt to come to an agreement that protects the public without damaging other professionals.
If you are interested in seeing the full statement from the NC Board regarding the License Establishment rules please visit: https://www.bmbt.org/downloads/newsletters/2018%20Winter%20Final.pdf
