The 2009 House of Delegates took place at the 65^th Annual AMTA National Convention held in Orlando, Florida. September 25-27, 2009.  There were 143 possible delegates / 142 present delegates, which was a weighted vote count of 50,439 possible but 50,134 present.  The HOD is one way in which members of the AMTA may voice their concerns and needs regarding policies and interests of the AMTA. It makes our professional organization different from any other.

Indiana Chapter submitted two recommendations to the House this year.  No other Chapters had any.  One had a successful outcome and one did not.  The first recommendation was regarding that the National Board of Director should consider adding to the budget money to hire full time specially trained personnel to be AMTA regional field representatives for students and schools recruitment.  This passed 81 yes / 56 no, which is in a weighted votes 27,657 yes to 20,175 no.  Dorinda Springer was the author of this recommendation but due to a last minute change she was not able to attend and Alternate Delegate, Cheryl Middaugh, took her place. 

The very lively debate brought out experiences from other chapters dealing with routine visits to schools and membership drives.  Some chapters have member volunteers visiting massage schools but the majority found it difficult to recruit and train those willing to go. It is a growing competitive market in the massage profession for new members joining the organization.

The next recommendation authored by myself, Barbara Lis, was asking for a change in the National Bylaws to give the Chapter President an avenue for their voice to be heard.  Unfortunately, there was a spelling error that was missed deprived it from passing, 20 yes /199 no. Weighted votes count were 6,006 yes and 43.066 no.  Perhaps this issue will be brought back again in the future but for now, it is dead.

The House of Delegates also heard four position statements.  A position statement is AMTA's position on professional or public policy issues that relate to the mission and goals of the Association. An individual member or group of members develop a proposed Position Statements, which is submitted by a delegate for a review process, making its journey to the House for debate and vote.  This year two passed and two did not:

1.    With a 136/6 vote of yes, "It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage therapy can aid in pain relief."

2.    With a 123/19 vote of yes, "It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage therapy can improve the quality of life for those in hospice and palliative care" 

3.    A no vote of 39/103, due to grammar errors in the background research and a need for more accurate reference material, "It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage therapy can be effective in reducing anxiety." did not pass.

4.    A no vote of 49/92, with a request to change the word "may" to "is" and bring it back next year for debate, ""It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage therapy may be effective in reducing lower back pain." did not pass.

Since this was my last year serving as Chapter Delegate, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chapter and members for allowing me to serve the membership as your Delegate since 1993.  I wrote many recommendations for the Chapter-nearly every year.  Many important issues, which the Association has greatly benefited from, where brought to debate in the House.  The one that comes to mind the most is the adoption of our 800 number.  Maybe the association might have eventually added one but it was Indiana's efforts to bring the recommendation forward. That idea came from a member from Evansville.  The process works and I am proud of our many success stories. Sometimes we didn't always win the battles for change but in a few years I have seen that we won the war, as changes came about anyway. 

I also want to thank and honor my mentor, Harold McIntosh Jr., who I hold in the most highest respect and cherish his friendship. He pushed me to learn how to be a good, hardworking and productive Delegate for the Chapter.  I remember many early morning hours reading "Roberts Rules of Order", which are the rules of procedure for the House, as I prepared to debate and rehearse my two-minute speech to speak in favor of, or against an issue.  Yes, Harold made me do that. This experience gave me a personal foundation and affected me so much.  It helps me as I serve on the Indiana State Board of Massage Therapy. I will continue to serve the AMTA membership in the future, just in different ways.