Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas says her office is moving to close a regulatory gap that has limited law enforcement’s ability to address suspected human trafficking at massage parlors across the state.
Speaking with VDC in an impromptu interview in Montpelier on Tuesday, Dec. 23, Copeland Hanzas said authorities have raised concerns about massage businesses where activity suggests possible exploitation, but where enforcement options have been limited because only individual license holders — not the massage establishments themselves — are currently regulated.
At present, authorities may only target individual licensees, Copeland Hanzas said. That has hindered effective investigation and intervention in situations that may involve human trafficking.
After the Legislature reconvenes January 7, the Secretary of State’s Office, through its Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), plans to seek statutory authority to require massage practices themselves to register with the state. The proposal would also allow for inspections of massage establishments, giving regulators and law enforcement an additional tool to identify potential trafficking or labor violations.
According to Copeland Hanzas, police departments in Burlington and Brattleboro have reported noticing massage businesses where women who do not appear to have been born in the United States are present, along with a pattern of men frequently coming and going — activity that has raised red flags for investigators.
The Office of Professional Regulation oversees Vermont’s licensed professions, including massage therapists. Under the current system, OPR can take action against licensed individuals but has limited authority over the businesses where they work. The licensees themselves may be victims of shadowy crime organizations that come and go in Vermont, Copeland Hanzas said.
The proposed changes would be included in OPR’s annual bill before the Legislature, which updates professional regulation statutes. If approved, the new rules would allow the state to register massage practices, conduct inspections, and more directly support law enforcement efforts to identify and disrupt trafficking operations.
The goal is not to target legitimate massage therapists or businesses, but to protect vulnerable individuals and provide authorities with the tools needed to address exploitation.
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