SPOKANE, Wash. — This Tuesday, Spokane Valley City Council will be considering two ordinances targeting unlawful massage businesses.
According to a press release, the first ordinance would adopt current state laws requiring licenses for massage practitioners and outline rules for law enforcement when verifying credentials. The second ordinance would define the bases for denying, suspending or revoking licenses for those businesses.
The council says these ordinances are a response to complaints about unlawful massage businesses in the Valley, including the suspected criminal activity taking place, namely prostitution and human trafficking.
“Spokane Valley isn’t the only city with this issue,” Valley Police Chief David Ellis said. “If we don’t address illegal activity, we’ll see more of it, and it will negatively affect neighboring businesses. We have received multiple complaints from the community, as well as legitimate licensed massage therapy providers. An ordinance will provide a tool to help us address this issue.”
City Council says the penalty for unlicensed massage businesses in Washington state is a gross misdemeanor for the first offense and a class C felony for a subsequent offense.
If the ordinances pass, they go into effect within the next two weeks.
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