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Legislative Action

Safe Harbor Bill Extension Status Update

H.2343/S.1380, An Act Providing for Consumer Access to and the Right to Practice Complementary and Alternative Health Care Services.

HFAMA has been informed by Senator Jo Comerford’s office, Chair for the Joint Committee on Public Health, that our Safe Harbor bill, along with over 125 others, has been “formally extended to the end of the year.”

This extension is a departure from previous Statehouse norms of moving all current session bills out of Committee before summer’s end.

More specific details about the extension are not available at this time.

Our goal is to move our bill out of the Public Health Committee as quickly as possible, and onto its next destination to ensure passage this session.

The Chair’s office has advised us to continue our advocacy and education, as this is the best way to generate visibility and support for the bill.

Send an email today to your legislators and members of the Public Health Committee asking them to move S.1380/H.2343 to passage. Let’s get Safe Harbor for alternative health practitioners established in Massachusetts now!

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Public Hearing Scheduled Your Testimony Needed!

Public Hearing Scheduled October 15, 2021

Your Testimony Needed!

The public hearing for H.2343/S.1380, An Act Providing for Consumer Access to and the Right to Practice Complementary and Alternative Health Care Services has been scheduled for Friday, October 15, 2021.

We urgently need you to support this bill NOW by providing your testimony — both written and virtual — to pass this legislation and protect your access to the same quality and quantity of alternative health care you enjoy today!

You must register by Wednesday, October 13 if you wish to testify in-person at the virtual hearing.

Here are simple action steps that you can take to support this bill now:

  1. Click on this link to voice your support for the bill with your legislators and with the Joint Committee on Public Health SUPPORT SAFE HARBOR 
    https://nationalhealthfreedomaction.salsalabs.org/supportmapractitionerexemptionbill
  2. Register to testify via Zoom this Friday using the instructions below
  3. Grant your permission to re-use testimony you prepared in 2019 to support this bill by contacting Carol Bedrosian at carol@spiritofchange.org
  4. Provide written Testimony completing this form: https://forms.gle/7Q79AZKzSCmfoPMP9 or by emailing the committee at by emailing: JointCommittee.PublicHealth@malegislature.gov. Be sure to include your name and address; include “Testimony in Support of H.2343/S.1380“
  5. Spread the work via email and social media to provide testimony and support this bill.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROVIDING TESTIMONY

Here are the State House instructions for providing that testimony now.

The Joint Committee on Public Health will conduct a virtual public hearing on Friday, October 15, 2021 beginning at 10:00 a.m. on bills relating to Professional Licensure and Scope of Practice; and Agencies.

Individuals testifying should limit their remarks to 3 minutes. All panels should limit their testimony to a total of 6 minutes.

Persons who wish to testify, submit written testimony, or both, may sign up and/or submit written testimony by completing this form: https://forms.gle/7Q79AZKzSCmfoPMP9

Persons who do not have a Google account or do not wish to use the Google form can submit testimony and/or sign up to testify by emailing:  JointCommittee.PublicHealth@malegislature.gov

For those who have signed up to testify, Legislative Information Services will provide a link to join the public hearing.  Persons planning to testify must sign up no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.  Those who plan to submit only written testimony may do so before or after the sign-up deadline.

Those who do not plan to testify but want to watch the public hearing may view the live stream under the Hearings & Events section of the legislative website.

If you have any questions, you may email: Kathleen.Hornby@mahouse.gov and Brian.Rosman@masenate.gov

 

SAMPLE TALKING POINTS FOR YOUR TESTIMONY

  1. The practice of complementary and alternative health care is not a protected right in Massachusetts.
  2. This bill will affect over 100 unlicensed holistic healing modalities that require the protection of a practitioner exemption law to avoid potential charges of practicing medicine without a license. There is no risk of harm to the public from these healing modalities, and therefore no reason for them to become licensed, yet they should have the protection that H.2343/S.1380 “The Massachusetts Consumer Access and Right to Practice Complementary and Alternative Health Care Act” provides.
  3. Holistic health practices may be interpreted as the provision of health care service only a licensed professional may perform. This could subject practitioners to fine, penalties and restrictions, despite their methods not posing an imminent risk of harm to the public’s safety.
  4. If passed, Massachusetts would join 11 other states in protecting the thousands of complementary and alternative practitioners such as herbalists, homeopaths, traditional naturopaths, Ayurveda practitioners, energy healers, wellness consultants, and many others who are practicing in Massachusetts.
  5. This bill will protect and encourage compliant holistic health practitioners to provide services in Massachusetts, give consumers greater choice and education about their professionals, and provide the state with oversight and public protection through the establishment of prohibited acts in the bill.

Share Your Testimony

As our bill moves through the legislative process, the next step is to ensure strong support at the bill’s hearing.  We’ve secured sponsor and co-sponsors for our bill, filed it, and are currently educating senators and representatives about it.  Supporters for the legislation have called and written to voice their support.  Now it is time to publicly speak up for health freedom.

Over the coming weeks, the Joint Committee on Public Health is likely to call a public hearing on the bill.  At that public meeting, they will hear arguments for and against the bill.  In preparation for the hearing, we are looking to galvanize support for the bill through powerful personal testimonials.  These personal stories can be delivered orally or in writing.  Oral testimony is limited to 2 minutes in length (about 300 words).  Written documents can be longer. 

A wide variety of stories is needed:

  • Testimonials by clients
  • Successes seen as a practitioner
  • Healing through different modalities – Reiki, Healing Touch, Polarity, Qigong, Alexander Technique, Yoga, Guided Meditation, Homeopathy, Herbs, and more
  • Reduction in PTSD
  • Management of pain
  • Elimination of prescription drugs
  • Recovery from addiction
  • Convenience of having tens of thousands of practitioners to choose from already safely practicing in the state
  • Testimony about preserving cultural traditions in healing through alternative medicine including diverse traditions and age-old wisdom

Include with each testimony: 

   Name

   Professional affiliation, if applicable

   Street Address, Town, State and Zip

   Telephone Number and Email Address

   Your request for the support of S665/H3660

Please contact Carol Bedrosian carol@spiritofchange.org to share your story and learn more.