2-15-1782. Board of massage therapy. (1) There is a board of massage therapy.

(2) The board consists of five members appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate. The members are:

(a) one representative of the public who is not a medical practitioner or an owner of a school that educates massage therapists and is not engaged in or directly connected with the practice of massage therapy;

(b) one member who is a licensed health care provider in good standing in Montana and who is not an owner of a school that educates massage therapists; and

(c) three massage therapists, none of whom may be an owner of a school that educates massage therapists, who have been actively engaged in the practice of massage therapy for at least 3 years prior to being appointed to the board. None of the three massage therapists may belong to the same national professional association. After the initial appointments are made to establish the board, each of the three members must be licensed as a massage therapist under Title 37, chapter 33.

(3) Members shall serve 4-year, staggered terms. The governor may remove a member from the board for neglect of duty required by law, for incompetence, or for unprofessional or dishonorable conduct.

(4) The governor shall make the initial appointments to the board as follows:

(a) one person who is a massage therapist to serve a 2-year term;

(b) one person who is a massage therapist to serve a 3-year term; and

(c) one person who is a massage therapist to serve a 4-year term.

(5) At the expiration of terms provided in subsection (4), the governor shall appoint the person designated to fill each position to a 4-year term.

(6) The board is allocated to the department for administrative purposes only as prescribed in 2-15-121.