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Permit Education Requirements: The current ordinance requires that a permittee have at minimum of 500 hours of education (of which 300 hours must be formal education in massage and 200 hours may be professional experience in massage) or be certified pursuant to the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. The ordinance proposed also includes the same education requirements but adds the condition that any professional experience, if counted toward the education requirement, must have been obtained in a jurisdiction other than Pleasanton. (6.24.050.) This requirement has been added to acknowledge that while massage internships or externships are not allowed in the City, some applicants may have had established massage practices in other jurisdictions that do not require 500 hours of massage education. By offering an alternative to 200 hours of formal education, the City can be reasonably sure that permittees possess minimum qualifications necessary to perform massage. Of the 500 hours of education, no classroom education may be received through "distance learning". Distance learning consists of learning without attendance in class. For example, a student who studies via distance learning may learn from online or correspondence classes. While distance learning is not appropriate for some components of massage courses, in the future there may be some courses in which distance learning could be appropriate. However, until distance learning becomes an industry standard or state-approved method for education from massage schools, staff is not recommending that the ordinance allow for distance learning for the base 500 hours. It is proposed, however, for a maximum of 12 of the 24-hour continuing education requirement. (6.24.230(E)(3), permit duration and renewal.) The ordinance proposed eliminates the alternative for certification by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. This option was removed because candidates for the exam are required to have a minimum of 500 hours of education and the alternative to the PMC's education requirement was duplicative. In addition, examinations from other organizations (such as the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and International Association of Structural Integrators) exist, and limiting the providers may limit one's options. If a permittee wishes to be certified or otherwise recognized by an organization to advance one's profession, the permittee may still do so independent of the City's permitting process. Association Membership No Longer Required: Like many professions, massage has state and national associations devoted to its practice. Although the current ordinance requires membership in a state or national massage association, this requirement has been removed from the proposed ordinance. Permittees may still belong to associations independent of the City's permitting requirements, however they would no longer be required to do so. Page 4 of 8