# Arkansas HB1217: TO ESTABLISH THE INTERSTATE MASSAGE COMPACT IN ARKANSAS. Arkansas HB1217, TO ESTABLISH THE INTERSTATE MASSAGE COMPACT IN ARKANSAS., is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Dave Wallace (Republican), Jason Nazarenko (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-03-12 (Notification that HB1217 is now Act 267) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1217-2025 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas HB1217 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: TO ESTABLISH THE INTERSTATE MASSAGE COMPACT IN ARKANSAS. - Status: enacted - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-24 - Last action: 2025-03-12, Notification that HB1217 is now Act 267 - Sponsors: Dave Wallace (Republican), Jason Nazarenko (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 2 (106 yes, 6 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Military massage therapists keep licensing continuity: benefit, low. Massage therapists on active duty, and therapists with active-duty spouses, can choose a qualifying state as their home state. They must hold a current massage license in good standing there. They can keep that designation throughout the active-duty assignment. - Commission immunity limits some civil claims: cost, low. Commission personnel have immunity from civil suits for covered acts within their duties, or reasonably believed to be within them. The Commission must defend them and cover qualifying claims, settlements, and judgments. These protections do not cover intentional, willful, or wanton misconduct. Mem… - Massage licensing system can charge fees: cost, low. The Commission can charge fees and assess member states each year to fund its work. It sets the formula dividing state assessments, covering the approved budget to the extent other revenue falls short. The law sets no fee amounts, assessment formula, or total budget, so specific household costs are… - Massage therapists gain interstate licensing options: mixed, medium. Arkansas joins a shared licensing system that takes effect when the seventh state enacts the Compact. A home-state multistate license lets qualifying massage therapists work in other member states, subject to those states’ practice laws. Applicants need an active home-state license, 625 training ho… - State exits include temporary license protection: mixed, low. A state can leave by repealing its Compact law; withdrawal takes effect 180 days after enactment. It must notify Compact license holders and keep recognizing their licenses for at least 180 days after the withdrawal notice. Investigation and disciplinary reporting duties continue after withdrawal.… - Massage discipline and records cross borders: mixed, low. The home state alone can discipline a multistate license; other member states can restrict practice within their borders. Home-state action deactivates practice permissions in other member states until the license restrictions are removed. Member states can conduct joint investigations and use cros… - Shared massage rules retain state safeguards: mixed, low. Arkansas’s Department of Health administers the Compact, and state executive and judicial branches must enforce it. Member states must maintain licensing, complaint investigation, background-check, reporting, and continuing-competence standards and recognize valid multistate licenses. Each member s… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Dave Wallace (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Jason Nazarenko (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-05 | Senate | Senate Vote - Wednesday, March 5, 2025 3:54:36 PM | pass | 20 | 6 | 1 | | 2025-02-26 | House | House Vote - Wednesday, February 26, 2025 2:35:11 PM | pass | 86 | 0 | 3 | ## Actions (19) - 2025-03-12: Notification that HB1217 is now Act 267 (House) - 2025-03-06: Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office. (House) - 2025-03-05: TO BE ENROLLED (House) - 2025-03-05: Returned from the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-03-05: Returned to the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-03-05: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-03-04: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate) - 2025-02-26: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE (Senate) - 2025-02-26: Received from the House. (Senate) - 2025-02-26: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-02-25: Returned by the Committee Do Pass (House) - 2025-02-24: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (House) - 2025-02-24: Amendment No. 2 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. (House) - 2025-02-24: Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment. (House) - 2025-02-13: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (House) - 2025-02-13: Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. (House) - 2025-02-13: Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment. (House) - 2025-01-27: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE- HOUSE (House) - 2025-01-24: Filed (House) ## Bill text - HB1217 - Introduced, 2025-01-24: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1217.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=267.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related bills - HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. (enacted) - HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO SET PENALTIES FOR A VIOLATION OF THE PROHIBITION OF SOLICITATION OF INJURED INDIV… (failed) - HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS. (failed) - SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE USE OF ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS; AND TO REGULATE ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES. (failed) - HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO ALLOW A MUNICIPALITY TO PETITION TO SET ASIDE THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO CERTAIN P… (failed) - HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO REQUIRE THAT A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BE SELECTED A… (failed) ## Sources - [HB1217 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1217.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=267.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related - [HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1265-2025) - [HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1237-2025) - [HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1686-2025) - [SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE US…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB440-2025) - [HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1695-2025) - [HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HR1012-2025) - [Arkansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas/bills) - [Arkansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1217-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).