Bill to Crack Down on Illicit Massage Businesses Passes the Oregon House - Willamette Week

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The Oregon House today passed a bill by a 51–2 vote aimed at cracking down on illicit massage businesses.

House Bill 3189-A, sponsored by state Rep. Thuy Tran (D-Portland) and Sen. Kathleen Taylor (D-Portland), would increase the fine for operating such a business from $1,000 to $5,000 per violation; allow the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists to post signs in illegal businesses warning customers away; and increase the maximum charge for repeat offenders from a misdemeanor to a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $125,000 fine.

Tran, whose district in Northeast and Southeast Portland is home to illicit massage businesses along Sandy Boulevard and 82nd Avenue, testified on the bill last month before the House Judiciary Committee. Tran told her colleagues that such businesses are often staffed by women who have been trafficked and are forced into commercial sex acts.

“The hypersexualization of Asian women based on offensive and outdated stereotypes is racism,” Tran added. “The illicit massage industry systematically exploits Asian women nationwide to meet these racist and sexist demands.”

Along with her testimony, Tran shared a graphic showing the rapid growth of illegal massage businesses in Oregon.

Illicit massage businesses in Oregon

And although the businesses are concentrated in the Portland metro area, they operate in many parts of Oregon, according to another graphic Tran shared.

Illicit massage businesses exist across Oregon.

Tran’s office says she first became aware of the severity of the problem when contacted by WW reporter Eliza Aronson for a 2024 cover story.

Related: Illicit Massage Parlors That Profit From Sex Trafficking Are Multiplying Around the City. No One Stops Them.

Tran’s office credited Aronson’s work for the legislation. “It was Willamette Week’s reporting that led to [Tran’s] work on HB 3819,” her aide, Collin Ledford, said in an email.

Taylor said the bill would have demonstrable impacts in Oregon neighborhoods.

“Rep. Tran’s work on this issue is going to make a difference,” Taylor said. “We’re not going to sit by and let criminals operate unchecked in our communities, and we’re not turning our backs on the women being trafficked and abused in these illegal facilities.”

Tran said empowering the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists to enforce stricter laws would help victims and those providers who are operating legally.

“I am responding to the call of my community that human trafficking must not continue in our backyard,” Tran said. “By giving the board new authority and stronger enforcement tools, we can begin to shut down these illegal operations, while supporting legitimate massage therapists, and ensuring survivors get the help they deserve.”

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.