Texas House passes bill authored by Rep. Hernandez tightening massage therapy licensing rules

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Ana Hernandez seeks to amend massage therapy regulations in Texas, aiming to restrict licenses for individuals with certain criminal convictions and to mandate revocation under specified conditions, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 61 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Ana Hernandez introduced the bill in the Texas House on Friday, Jan. 3, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Hernandez graduated from the University of Houston in 1999 with a BS and again in 2004 from University of Texas School of Law with a JD.

Hernandez, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State House in 2005 to represent the state’s 143rd House district, replacing previous state representative Joe Moreno.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the regulation of massage therapy’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends regulations governing massage therapy in Texas, making individuals ineligible for a license as a massage establishment, massage school, massage therapist, or massage therapy instructor if they have certain criminal convictions. These include offenses under specific chapters of the Texas Penal Code or comparable federal or state laws. Furthermore, it mandates the revocation of a massage therapy license if the license holder is convicted of such offenses or is determined to have practiced at a sexually oriented business. The bill requires the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation to adopt necessary rules to implement these amendments, with the act becoming effective Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Rafael Anchia (Democrat – District 103) and Rep. David Cook (Republican – District 96).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Sunday, May 25, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.