NQA POSITION ON QIGONG LEGISLATION
The National Qigong Association seeks to nurture all forms of Qigong and support the freedom for its members to to train, teach and work clinically, with proper training. To this end, the Board of Directors has adopted a legislative position to support responsible Qigong practitioners, teachers and clinicians against overreaching legislation.
Call to Action!
Updated: March 7, 2021
- Are you concerned about your right to teach Qigong without having to be licensed?
- Are you concerned you won’t be able to practice Clinical/Medical Qigong unless you’re licensed?
- Are you aware that the licensing boards will not have any or proper representation for Qigong and other Holistic modalities?
- You will have to be licensed to practice Qigong on a personal and professional level.
Bills we’re following closely:
Massachusetts:
The NQA Legislation Committee is currently tracking and opposing bills filed in Massachusetts.
The same bill was filed in the house and senate simultaneously. The bill numbers are as follows:
House-HD1708
Senate-SD1068
These bills, one in the Senate and one in House are a reintroduction, with some wording changes, of bill S168 that was filed and set aside in 2019. There is no distinction between Private, Martial and Religious practice and Clinical/Medical Qigong practice. As a result, all forms of Qigong could be required to be licensed. Improper Licensing Board representation also remains a big issue and recognition of training schools is left to non-Qigong massage therapists. There aren’t any Clinical/Medical Qigong schools in MA and the cost of opening a school in MA is prohibitive due to the high cost of licensing. Additionally, the bills limit the scope of practice of Clinical/Medical Qigong.
On the other hand, the NQA does support the following health Freedom Act bill sponsored by Representative John J. Law. This bill protects the rights of those practicing Complementary Medicine and provides the means to verify the educational qualifications of the practitioner to those who choose to use his/her services.
House-HD1169
This may sound far fetched to some of you, but in reality, it is being proposed in some states. All bills in question, require licensing for Holistic and Energy based modalities.
States that offer protection to Alternative/Complementary medicine through general law, Health Freedom Act and/or Safe Harbor laws are now getting bills proposing the elimination of said protection. No one is safe, not even in those states!
The total loss of self-governance and representation could be on the brink of happening to Qigong. You will be required to have a massage therapist, bodywork or acupuncture license depending on the state. In addition to the over reach we’ve mentioned above.
Please join us in our fight to keep Qigong our own and to self-govern.
We are looking for individuals to help at the state level. We need boots on the ground to contact others in like-minded organizations, speak to legislators and serve as liaisons.
Please contact our Legislation Committee:
The National Qigong Association is a 501c3, volunteer led, non-profit corporation whose mission is to educate people about Qigong, in its many forms, providing opportunities to come together, share, explore and grow as a community. Our volunteers are the heartbeat of the association and help us fulfill our mission which includes protecting the energetic arts we love from those who seek to control or eliminate our ability to practice and teach in our communities. Please consider joining us and help keep Qigong available for all who seeks its many health benefits.
