We, the undersigned, oppose the massage establishment licensing ordinance proposed by the City of Billings, MT.

1. Establishment licensing treats massage therapy as adult entertainment, not the healthcare profession it is.
2. While human trafficking and prostitution may be a problem in Billings, imposing additional regulation and licensing fees on a profession infiltrated by this criminal activity is not an effective way to address the problem.
3. Criminals will game the system, leaving legally practicing therapists to pay for a regulatory scheme that will not impact human trafficking or prostitution. 
4. There are other, creative solutions to the problem that do not unfairly discriminate against legally practicing massage therapists.