I was pleased to see that there was a more diverse group of
stakeholders at the forum today. In the past, the meetings have been
dominated by private school owners. For those who attended today,
thank you for taking the time to participate in the advancement of
your profession. For those who were not able to attend, you can still
have a voice!

It is not too late to have your voice heard in regards to DSHS's
request for comments on these topics:

* limiting the number of internship hours to a maximum of 100 hours

* prohibiting massage schools from offering "tuition waivers" in
which the student is allowed to work in an "extended internship
program" instead of paying tuition

Please send you comments, concerns, questions, statements to
massage@dshs.state.tx.us
Please put "Stakeholders Meeting Comments" in the subject line. You
may also fax your comments to them at (512) 834-6677.
Please submit comments no later than Wednesday, March 12th, 2008.

Thanks,
Janine Ray, LMT, MTI, PDMT
Legislative Chairperson
Texas Association of Massage Therapists.
www.texasmassagetherapists.com